By SAH TERENCE ANIMBOM
There has been a new trend of armed confrontations in the North West region especially in Ndonga Mantung, Menchum and Boyo divisions where some irate Fulani youths have been armed with sophisticated weapons to turn on the Christian population of the areas. From Wum sub division last year when forces of law and order watched unabated as Muslim Fulani youths went burning houses of Christians around Waindu and GTHS Junction in Wum Menchum division, to Koshin where the same armed to the teeth Fulani youths burnt down the whole village and chased away over 2000 villagers. Reports say they killed over five with some by means of butchering last February 2, 2020. In Bum sub Division in Boyo division, over 20 houses were burnt and hundreds of inhabitants sent away from their villages with more than seven herds of cows belonging to Christians seized in Aduk, Konene and Fonfuka, in December 2019.
Fundong Sub division on Saturday ,March 14, 2020 woke up to heavy and deafening gunshots coming from Ngwah Village located some three kilo meters from Fundong central town. Armed Fulani youths with sophisticated weapons had raided the village and were shooting indiscriminately at animals and civilians on sight. This chased all villagers into the bushes including Amba fighters in the village. Four civilians were shot by the boys in the process. An unarmed man in his 40s knelt down and raised his arms in surrender but was brutally shot by one of the Fulani boys on the chest several times.
“The attack started early in the morning when I stepped out to service my bike and go for work. While servicing the motorcycle, I heard the gunshots just when some military officers on patrol had come down to the garage from Fujua. They were as surprised as anybody and made calls to their superiors and colleagues to find out if any had gone up to Ngwah. They were told no and I heard them wonder aloud where on earth the sound of such sophisticated weapons could be coming from. Shortly their boss, the Company Commander for Boyo arrived with a car and they sped towards the shooting but it would appear as we were later told that they did not go beyond Layn-ghi-layn Junction which is two kilometers away from the shooting”, a source in Fundong told The SUN.
“When the Fulani boys first came and started shooting, the sound of their guns gave the impression that it was the military because their guns sounded so sophisticated. Everyone ran into the bush including ‘Amba boys’. However when they noticed that it was not the military but the Fulani boys, they retaliated and were able to kill three of the boys from their hideouts. It was only at this point that the Fulani boys fled abandoning their corpses”, another source told The SUN.
The confrontation lasted three hours during which a bike was seized by the Fulani boys and set ablaze at the Ngwah Junction.