Leaders of Rigange and Waduku communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State have sounded the alarm over renewed violence in the area, blaming armed youths from the Tsobo (Pirei) ethnic group for a series of deadly attacks that have displaced hundreds of families.
Speaking at a joint press conference recently held in Yola, the communities reported that armed assailants invaded their villages on July 7 and 11, killing at least 10 people, injuring several others and forcing more than 717 households from their homes. Properties and farm produce valued at about ₦7 billion were said to have been destroyed or looted.
Gregory Abednego, chairman of the Joint Press Conference Committee, thanked Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for what he described as “proactive empathy” during their “trying times,” and commended the media and security personnel for their efforts. But he warned that the violence was escalating and demanded a thorough investigation.
“We call on security agencies to probe reports of armed youths impersonating police officers and carrying prohibited weapons, including AK-47 and G3 rifles,” Abednego said. “Those behind these attacks must be brought to justice.”
Curfew Breaches and Protests
According to the committee, tensions rose again on August 6 when Tsobo youths protested at the Tingno Police Station over missing persons, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum. Within two days, several homes belonging to Bwatiye families in Tingno were reportedly set ablaze despite an ongoing security curfew.
Police reinforcements were later deployed as fears of reprisal attacks spread.
A Longstanding Land Dispute
Community representatives traced the clashes to an unresolved dispute over farmlands. They said the Tsobo (Pirei) people were resettled from surrounding hills in 1952, while Waduku and Rigange settlements pre-dated that move by more than 300 years.
Quoting historical accounts, the speakers claimed that “all the farmlands they [the Tsobo] are farming on belong to Waduku, Rigange and other Bwatiye people.”
They also listed past incidents, from attacks on Fulani and Hausa communities to skirmishes with Gyakan farmers as evidence of what they called a recurring pattern of aggression.
Warnings and Appeals
In their statement, the Rigange and Waduku leaders declared that the attacks amounted to “a war” on the Bwatiye people and warned that their communities would no longer act as “big brothers” to the Tsobo.
They also alleged that some Tsobo youths had been “singing war songs,” intimidating residents, and boasting of access to sophisticated weapons and ammunition. The leaders urged the Adamawa State Government to track down and confiscate such hidden arms — a request they said they had made to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri during his recent peace mission.
At the same time, they urged their followers to remain law-abiding:
“We call on our sons and daughters everywhere to stay calm and report any irregularities to traditional rulers or security personnel,” said Barr. Danbaba Rigange, secretary of the committee.
Government Response and Outlook
The Adamawa State Government imposed a 24-hour curfew on July 11 and has since intensified peace efforts, while the state assembly has recommended community-based security taskforce for Lamurde and neighbouring Numan.
Analysts warn that unless authorities accelerate mediation and justice processes, the cycle of attacks and reprisals could deepen humanitarian pressures in the area, where hundreds of residents remain displaced and farmlands lie idle.
