This Merchants of War Came In a Commando Style, BCYO Accuses Egbira For Being Responsible For the Progrom In Kpereche Village

By Emmanuel Peter., ABUJA.
Again, Bassa Community Youth Organization ( BCYO) has accused Egbira for raining mayhem at Kpereche village in Koton karfe Local Government Area of Kogi State, which left not few than 20 people death plus women and children, others injured and many still missing.
BCYO made the accusation in a press statement sent to us via our email and signed by its deputy Secretary, Barr. Sunday Gbaji. BCYO maintained that Egburas were behind the killings in various Bassa communities, which includes; Kpereche village in Kogi State, Adegbe in Kuje Area Council and Ereh under Abaji Area Council both in FCT. In Adegbe one person was killed and houses razed down and in Ereh houses were razed down also but no life was lost as reported.
Read the Statement: “It was in the wee hours of 29th May 2018, the democracy day which is supposed to be a day of celebration for the Buhari lead administration and the government of Yahaya Bello, the people’s governor and the champion of youth in government; the governor who has introduced reforms and has done so well to maintain peace and order in Kogi State, when the peace and tranquillity of Kpereche a Bassa village in Koton karfe LGA of Kogi State was upset by the Egbura militia who are known to be merchants of war, mayhem and blood-letting in furtherance and execution of the call for total war on every Bassa speaking people nation wide made by one Yahaya Toto the spokesman of Egbura Youth Movement (EYM). If not, what will one make of the unwarranted and unprovoked killings of innocent and peace loving Bassa people of Kpereche? There was no any existing reasons or misunderstanding between the Bassa people of Kpereche and the Egburas of Koton karfe except for the fact that they are Bassa speaking people.
“This merchants of war came in a commando style by first sending an advance group who came as robbers to rob the villagers and to lure the people to their slaughtering field where they would be shot at sight. Most of the villagers came out in their numbers to find out what was happening when they heard shouts of “Thief! Thief!!” Not knowing that it was a strategy to lure them out of their houses to where they will be shot at sight by the Egbura militia who were shouting “They are all Bassa, kill them all…” Another group came out from the bush with all sorts of weapons, unknown to the Bassa people as they were being killed. In the pogrom, thirteen Bassa people including children lost their lives, many injured and many still missing in the pandemonium.
“There is no monopoly of crisis, the Bassa people are not cowards and will never tolerate this kind of massacre and madness again in whatever guise. Crisis is like a wild fire, you may start it but can never tell to what extent it can go. This got to stop in other not to bring a reprisal and a repeat of Ife/ Modakeke crisis in Bassa and Egbura communities of Kogi, Nasarawa and FCT in the North Central Region. Nigeria is already soaked with a lot of crises and blood letting. The Federal Government of Nigeria cannot tolerate any prodigious crisis again. Therefore, we are calling the government of these two states of Kogi, Nasarawa and the Minister and the administration of FCT to quickly look into this matter and put a stop to this heinous crises going on in these two states and the FCT. About a fortnight ago we received news also of how this same Egbura militia attacked the Bassa community of Atako in Abaji Area Council of Abuja and another Bassa village within the FCT. The child that refuse his mother to sleep should be ready to have sleepless night,” the statement said.
BCYO is however, calling on the government of Kogi, Nasarawa, FCT Authorities and the federal government to take adequate measures to fortall this barbaric act that is going on across the Bassa communities before the situation gets out of control.
“We are calling on the indefatigable governor of Kogi State in the person of his Excellency Yahaya Bello as a matter of necessity to expand the ongoing panel of enquiries into the remote and immediate causes of the Bassa / Egbura communal crisis of Bassa LGA to include the Kpereche killings in other to bring a lasting solution and peace in both Bassa LGA and Koton karfe LGA of Kogi State.
“We are calling on the Royal Father of Igu, the chairman of Koton karfe LGA Traditional Council to as matter of urgency call for the meeting of all the traditional chiefs in the local government area and all the stakeholders in the area to see how they can bring an end to this unwarranted killings of Bassa Speaking people in Koton karfe a stitch in time saves nine.
“We are also calling on the government of Kogi, Nasarawa States and the FCT administration to as a matter of urgency set up a joint patrol team and a security committee comprising of Bassa and Egbura representatives and the Bassa and Egbura Royal Fathers from this three areas to meet and discuss modalities of calling their people to order before it is too late.
“We are also calling on the Nigerian military to come to the rescue of Bassas in the hands of this Egbura militia before it gets to a sorry state,” it added.