Two Bauchi traditional monarchs flee for dear life as irate youths go on the rampage

TWO traditional rulers in Bauchi State were forced to flee from irate mobs yesterday after angry youths went on the rampage in Bogoro Local Government Area burning down houses on the 21st anniversary of the death of Sayawa Nation leader Baba Peter Gonto.

Believed to have originally come from Chad, the Sayawa people of Bauchi State are renown for being middlemen who buy produce from farmers and take these goods to market. Among the most prominent Sayawa people include Air Commodore Ishaku Gung Zaar, Hon Yakubu Dogara, the former speaker of the Federal House of Representatives' and Professor Sulaiman Bogoro , the executive secretary of Tetfund.

Yesterday's anniversary was supposed to be  celebration of the Sayawa culture but alas, it turned ugly as houses and other properties worth millions of naira were burnt down by irate youths in Bogoro. Youths also stormed venue of the main event at Government Day Secondary School, Bogoro, where the set the stage and other things used for the programme on fire. 

Earlier on in the day, the youth had waylaid the convoys of the emirs of Bauchi and Dass on the way to Bogoro. During the scuffle, they damaged the official car of the Emir of Dass as well as other cars in the convoy, forcing them to make a U-turn. 

Governor Bala Mohammed, who was expected to be the special guest of honour at the event, did not show up for security reasons as the rampaging youths blocked all roads that lead to the town.  It was gathered that the protest was due to the alleged refusal of the organisers of the event to include some prominent sons and daughters of the area in the planning and final execution of the programme. 

A letter reportedly written to the inspector-general of police Usman Baba, by Hon Dogara, alerting to a possible breach of the peace in the area should the event hold, was recently circulated on social media. Hon Dogara, who is currently the member representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, had requested that the organisers be made to sign an undertaking that should anything happen, they would be held responsible. 

Umar Sanda, the Bauchi State police commissioner, has ordered an investigation into the incident, appealing for calm and advising people not to take the law into their hands. A concert preceding the event was held on Thursday at the Church of Christ in Nigeria in Mwari, the village of the late Baba Peter Gonto. 

Well attended, the concert featured popular gospel artists led by Panam Percy Paul who thrilled the audience. A book written about the late Gonto was launched and presented to the general public on Friday but the launch had to be terminated when the irate youths attacked the venue.