By Ringnwi Joy
The Member of Parliament for Donga Mantung East constituency (Nwa), Hon Edward Lambe Adamu has blamed the diaspora for the recent killings and atrocities committed in Nwa Subdivision, Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region.
He also talked of a dialogue forum in gestation to seek an end to the farmer-grazier conflicts in the area.
The lawmaker was addressing his people following reports of attacks on some villages in the subdivision which left at least six dead, amongst them three aged people, houses and markets razed by alleged Mbororo assailants at the start of the week.
While regretting the killings, Hon. Lambe said the diaspora is at the origin of the conflict by inflating hate speeches against their “Mbororo brothers” and “deceiving our fellow brothers to pick up arms and fight the state which they will never win. I’ve heard some of the hate speeches even from Nigeria. People have said very terrible things…”
The actions of the diaspora, he said have not only made the subdivision prone to the recent violence but also brought sacrilegious events to their own people.
He said the custodians of the tradition have been targeted, kidnapped and palaces razed by the diaspora-sponsored armed groups.
The Fon of Rom, he said, had been kidnapped thrice, the Fon of Lus shot thrice but miraculously survived, Mbem Fon and other peers now taking refuge in Magba, Mbankim in the West Region and beyond.
“Many Fons had tried to rally their subject to see that they could reason together. Some of the Fons had been kidnapped or gotten tortured because of the bad advice our brothers on the ground got from those in the US,” the MP posited.
Talks about imminent dialogue to end violence
The Member of Parliament has hinted at an imminent dialogue forum involving the natives and the Mbororo community to seek a peaceful solution to their differences.
This inter-community dialogue, which has already received the accord of the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung, Simon Nkwenti Ndoh, is conditioned on the fact that both sides will have to drop their arms.
“… Everybody that lives in Nwa should get disarmed whether you’re a native or a Fulani. Everybody must disarm for peace to return. Then, we talk empty-handed, face to face…,” he said explaining it is in the best interest of his people. The dialogue forum he said may take place between mid-March to May.
Military deployment
According to the MP under the ticket of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM party, a military deployment has been ordered by the SDO to the northern part of the subdivision bordering Nigeria, through which invaders pass.
“The Fulanis came in from both Banyo and from Nigeria as of the reports we get from there,” he told his people.
“We have proposed that a detachment of military be sent to Yamba North to stop whosoever from coming and going out with bad intentions. The powers that be have bought that option and is looking forward to putting that into action,” he added.
He furthered that: “The SDO was ready for all of us to move to Ntong and evaluate the situation, but how could we when all the roads were dug with deep trenches, ridges destroyed and trees cut to block cars from moving. The military in Nwa could not move to the site due to some of these challenges”.
“From yesterday’s meeting in Nwa with the DO, it has been decided that everyone living in Nwa Subdivision has two weeks to comply with the decision of disarming everyone. Anyone having an arm has two weeks to hand the arm to the DO. After these two weeks, anyone caught with an arm will be gunned down by the military,” he warned.
