It was a terrible tragedy for the people of Dan-Wawaru village of Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State, as they buried 15 persons who plunged into the River Rima and died on Thursday night, locals confirmed.
Also, no fewer than three persons were reportedly killed, while scores were injured in a fresh round of violence that erupted yesterday in Wukari local government area of Taraba State.
The 15 people that drowned in Sokoto were reported to have been among the 17 persons in a vehicle that plunged into the river, and reports have it that they were on their way back from Takakume village where they went for a religious ceremony.
Confirming the incident to LEADERSHIP Sunday, the Sokoto State police command’s spokesperson, Al-Mustapha Sani, said the vehicle was reported to have been conveying 17 persons before the driver allegedly slept off, leading to the accident.
Sani, however, informed that two of the occupants involved in the accident survived, while the remaining 15 have been buried according to Islamic rites.
“The deceased were evacuated by the police attached to the Goronyo police division and had since been buried by their respective families according to Islamic rites,” he informed.
On his part, Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko condoled with the bereaved families, just as he prayed that God would grant their souls eternal rest.
While urging them to see it as an act of God, Wamakko admonished them to pray against the repeat of such act, either in the state or anywhere else.
Meanwhile, a resident of Wukari, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday, alleged that the crisis started when a Muslim man who left his area to a Christian zone three days ago was killed. He added that several properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed
“The root of this crisis was that few days ago, one Muslim guy visited a Christian area and he was killed, and when the Muslims heard of it the next day, they saw a Christian person who came to their area and they killed him in return,” he alleged.
Findings by our correspondent reviewed that it was still a spill over of the crisis that erupted in Wukari few months ago.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Taraba State police command, ASP Joseph Kwaji, confirmed the incident to LEADERSHIP Sunday on phone, stating that at about 10:30 yesterday, unknown gunmen killed a Muslim person, and the next day, there were sporadic gunshots at Mararaba town.
It would be recalled that crisis had erupted in some parts of Taraba for over six months, leading to the deaths of many people and destruction of property.
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15 Drowned In Sokoto River, 3 Killed In Fresh Wukari Crisis
