Three soldiers and two community vigilantes have been reportedly killed in an ambush by a militia group in Katakpa community of Toto local government area of Nasarawa State on Tuesday.
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that the soldiers including the vigilante group, were on a peace mission to the troubled Katakpa area of Toto in State when militia launched an ambushed attack on the military and the vigilante killing five.
The chairman of Toto local government area, Abdullahi Aliyu Tashas, who confirmed the attack as well as the casualty figure on Wednesday said the soldiers were deployed to ensure peace in the area following sustained attacks on Toto communities by the militia group when they were allegedly attacked and killed by the same Bassa militia.
“Bassa people attacked four communities in Katakpa village as a result, soldiers were drafted to ensure that peace and order were restored”, the council Chairman stated.
In the same vein, a legal luminary, Yakubu Galadima, has admonished President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state to tighten security at the porous northern borders to reduce cases of insecurity across the country.
Galadima in an interview with Journalists, suggested that the Federal and State governments should be proactive on security matters to forestall and control the seeming breach of peace as well as the increasing rate of attacks across the country.
“There have been speculations that most of the bandits found their way into the country through the porous northern Nigerian borders under the umbrella of the called Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) treaty that allows free movement of persons from the region”.
Barr Galadima, alleged while reaching to the recent attack on Katakpa community in Toto Local Government area of Nasarawa State, that the Press conference organised by the Aguma of Bassa in Nasarawa State, Dr David Wodi Tukira, led to the killings and destruction of properties allegedly carried out by the Bassa Kwomu gunmen.
According to the Legal practitioner, “the Bassa Kwomu traditional ruler is poised on perpetual instability in Toto Local Government area so that he can continue to reign over non-existent Chiefdom, which was created to satisfy the whims and caprices of the Bassa Kwomu extraction that lack any territorial sphere”.
He advised the Nasarawa State Governor to disregard the call by the Aguma of Bassa for a boundary adjustment in Toto LGA in view of the fact that Bassa Komu residents have no historical ownership to a particular area that they claim to have founded either historically or developmental.
“It sounds crude that in this 21st century, some people are realizing that the nomenclature of the settlements in Toto LGA should be changed to favour their reasonings.
“Does it not sound crude for a settler to change the name of an area he met without the consent of the original inhabitants? What manner of relationship between landlords and visitors is that? It is crude”, the lawyer declared.
” What the government did for them is quite logical in view of their population in the local government by appointing a Bassa Kwomu Chief, known as the Aguma of Bassa Kwomu.
” For the Bassas claiming ownership of the ancient settlements predating their arrivals from areas they were chased from is synonymous to medieval ethnic territorial expansion and conquest, which is retrogressive in this modern time.” Galadima said.
He however advised the Egbira people in Toto Local Government area to continue to be peaceful despite provocations and respect constituted authorities.