…200 lives lost, properties razed
By Atabor Julius.
The ancient town of Bagana in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi state which is bounded on the north by River Benue separating it from Guto, Umaisha, Obatukwu and Loko in Nasarawa state, and on the East by Agatu LGA of Benue state and 15km away from Abejukolo, headquarters of the LGA , with a riverine access to Lokoja the Kogi state capital.
Bagana, with a rough population of over 35 thousand inhabitants, has diverse ethnic tribes such as Igala, Agatu, Hausa, Nupe, Kakanda, Yoruba, Ebira Koto, Igbo, Kanuri, Eppe and so many other minor tribes living today in peace and harmony.
Its diversity and location on the bank of River Benue and her proximity to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has earned her over the years the reputation of being the hub of doing business in Omala LGA which boast of a thriving and prosperous commodity and cow markets that to date respected the intellectual postulation of the legend of the 19th century economist, ‘Adams Smith’s Trade by Barter’.
Although modernity has changed the trade in most part of Nigeria, the trade by barter as a means of exchange has largely remained intact in Bagana market.
In the market, one does not really need to have money to buy what he or she wants, but farm produce such as yams, cassava flour, millet and guinea corn, which are produced by farmers from the hinterlands, are being exchanged with fishes and other aquatic lives, beans and cereals which are produced in abundance by the riverine people of Nassarawa state thereby eliminating the incidence of inflation that has ravaged the business spectrum across the country.
Another thing that made Bagana unique was that it played host to colonial traders of John Holt conglomerate in the early 19th century. The trading giant built warehouses for their goods and built residential settlements for their officials, which today remained historical relics.
Unfortunately, all these uniqueness of the town have change for booming guns and bellowing smoke that have twice in four years ruined the communities with no fewer than 200 lives lost and properties worth millions of naira razed down.
Alhaji Shaibu Audu, a retired civil servant, had hoped to retire to his village to continue with the textile business that his late father left behind. He had used his long time savings to remodel his buildings in the village and built new shops that will warehouse his would-be business. He had concluded plans to move to the village with his family to start the business, alas that was not to be as a week to his planned relocation the whole property went in flames in a bizarre attack by the fulani herdsmen and Agatu militias from Benue state.
Another victim of the Fulani/ Agatu violent clash in Bagana is an Architect, Gambo Ogwaje. Ogwaje is a lecturer with the Federal Polytechnic Nassarawa, who within a few months built a master piece apartment in honour of his birthplace, even though his family have technically relocated to Nassarawa state. The new edifice was razed down by Agatu / Fulani militias.
Alhaji Shaibu and Mallam Gambo were not alone in the tales of woes as thousands have been rendered homeless, many maimed and killed creating huge humanitarian challenges.
People in Bagana had lived together in peace before the influx of the displaced Fulani / Agatu people from Benue state in 2013 to borderline communities of Ajokpachi-Odo, Agojeju-Odo, Obakume Icheke and of course, Bagana with its peculiarly of a being a multi-tribal community which has now altered the hitherto mutual trust and peaceful coexistence among the people for the booming guns and arson that had reduced it to rubbles.
Bagana got entangled for its magnanimity, for allowing the warring factions, who have inflicted pains on each other in Benue state to take refuge in her domain. The aftermath of her generosity has permanently created insecurity in the whole communities of Omala LGA.
Out of these borderline villages, Bagana was the worst hit by the fulani / Agatu clashes. They have turned the village to a theater of war with attendant destruction to lives and properties.
Bagana is noted as the hub of business in Omala LGA. The community had a thriving cattle market. it has sizeable fulani and Hausa indigenes as well as Agatus before the displaced Agatu and Fulani herders in Benue state moved into the area.
Trouble seemed to have been ignited when the Agatu refugees returned to their native villages to fortify themselves. However, despite peace moves to restore mutual trust through the deployment of detachment of Army personnel to keep vigil over these villages in the late 2014, the Agatu Militias numbering over thirty, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the Bagana cattle market, shot sporadically into the crowd killing four persons with scores wounded and over 32 cows killed.
According to the Agatu militias, the attack on the cattle market which was being managed by the Hausas and other related tribes in Bagana was a signal to stop aiding and abetting the Fulani attackers.
With the successful deadly operation, the militias decimated the Hausa/ Fulani source of livelihood as cows were hunted and killed without provocation.
In order to stem the tide of the destruction of lives and property, the then chairman of the council, Hon. Labaran Oyigebe constituted a peace committee on the crisis headed by the then Secretary to Council, Hon. Atabor Julius; the District head, Alhaji Ali Haruna; the chiefs of Hausa, Otutubatu and Ihankpe, youth leader as members.
However, the gains of the committee was short-lived as on 14th December, 2014, the Fulani herdsmen launched deadly reprisals killing over 50 persons, completely razed down the town with property worth millions of naira lost in the inferno rendering thousands as internally displaced persons who have to flee to the neighboring communities such as Idirisu, Okpotala Umaisha, Loko in Nasarawa state, Obakume and Abejukolo, the headquarters of the Council and in fact just anywhere within and outside the state.
With determined efforts of the government at reassuring the people of their security, people started to return home to rebuilding their houses and businesses. And when the people thought that peace has actually been achieved and plans were at advance stage to roll out drums to celebrate four years of achieving peace, rumours of reprisal from the Agatu gunmen attack on fulani settlement enveloped the area.
True to their fears, four young men from Bagana were ambushed and massacred on their farms. Palpable fears of attack continued till on Sunday 7th April, 2019 when the herders invaded Bagana, killed some police men on guard of the town, burnt down some houses while no fewer than 15 persons, mostly women and children, were killed.
Sadly, on the following day, youths from Agatu took their turn and burnt down houses belonging to the Hausas in which scores were also killed even as the destruction spree moved to Ogba and Patanyi villages where houses were torched and about 16 persons, mostly the elderly and women, were massacred.
According to some indigenous people, the crises can only be resolved if the people and the government are determined to resolve the underlying factors.
Chieftaincy Feud.
Hitherto, Bagana is being ruled by Gago. But when Bagana was made a District, Alhaji Allih Haruna was appointed a district head and a third class chief of Oga Onu Ife. As it wont with change, there was initial protest from mostly the Hausa elements over his qualification. Although, the protest was swiftly resolved, the District head was not quick to forget the revolt against him.
In the same breadth, two hostile clans, Otutubatu and Ihankpe have started to put their foothold on the town. Otutubatu with its headquarters at Omagede and Ihankpe dominate Patanyi until a retired Army lieutenant, Mr. Ochi ascended the throne of Ihankpe.
Instead of running his palace from Patanyi, the headquarters of his clan, he relocated the domain to Bagana. His actions was considered an affront by the Otutubatu clan as chains of events led to violent deaths on either side and uninterrupted litigators.
However, the new Otutubatu chief, Alhaji Salifu equally relocated his palace to Bagana, bandying a court judgement ceding Bagana to him. The no love lost continued until 2013 when refugees from Agatu /Fulani crisis in Benue state pushed the belligerents to Bagana and other borderline villages of Omala LGA.
Ironically, the Hausa elements were marked and designated as settlers who must be crushed. Their business was targeted. The cow market, mostly traded by the Hausa elements, were systematically attacked. Fulani herders considered some persons in the village as collaborators who randomly attacked and kill their cows, allegedly using Agatu militias as alibi.
According to some pundits, the two clan heads should relocate back to their domain while the District head should assume total control of his district as a panacea for peace.
Economic Domination.
The Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement on bridge constructions on River Benue at Bagana and Guto in Nassarawa state was a fertile ground for hatred.
The compensation was ill managed. The tax as revenue from markets and other resources were fiercely contested as government become disinterested or lacked political will to directly collect the revenues.
Indigenes and Settlers Dichotomy.
With the Sheriffs of the District head, Chief of Otutubatu and Ihankpe dictating the shots, the Hausa elements whose progenitors have lived in Bagana for more than 200 years were labelled as settlers who must be subjugated. Hate speeches against them was widely circulated.
External Forces.
With the fallout of Agatu / Fulani war which closed down the once thriving Oweto and Ogwumogbo markets in Agatu LGA in Benue state, the people have not hid their envy on Bagana Market.
Lack of Security Presence.
With a rough population estimate of over 50,000 inhabitants, no single security outpost is located in the town and its three surrounding villages.
Bagana, with its peculiar location on the bank of River Benue, attracts criminal activities from the neighboring Nassarawa and Benue states which requires the Naval outpost and police station to curtail crimes and criminality.
