No fewer than 40 youths in Tangale community and a district head for Todi in the Biliri Local Government Area of Gombe State, have been arrested by security operatives over the kingship tussle in the area.
The Director-General, Centre for Justice on Religion and Ethnicity in Nigeria, Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, who disclosed this in an interview with SaharaReporters on Monday, said those arrested had been detained in a cell in the FCT.
The people of Tangale had, some weeks ago, protested the alleged imposition of a Muslim of minority extraction in Tangale, a predominantly Christian community in Gombe State as king.
According to them, the minority candidate that has no link to the Tangale throne was imposed by the Gombe State Government despite the fact the candidate had only 2 votes while the authentic candidate and son of the late monarch, Dr Idris Maiyemba had 5 votes out of a possible 9.
The youths requested that the governor, Yahaya Inuwa, should confirm Musa Idris Maiyamba as the new Mai (monarch of) Tangale.
The protest, which was later hijacked by unscrupulous elements, led to the death of three persons.
However, young and innocent people in the community were arrested in connection with the deaths, Pastor Dikwa stated.
He said, “Forty youths were arrested by operatives of the Gombe State Department of State Services, along with the district head of Todi village, Obadiah Naaman Toyyo and his people do not know his whereabouts but I know they are in the DSS detention cell in Abuja.
“The government is trying to frame Toyyo for causing the recent crises initiated by Governor Inuwa in Billiri. We will not allow them to use government power to continue to intimidate us as Christians. The government sent an appointment letter to Mallam Danladi Maishanu not Maiyamba, the people’s choice.
“The appointment letter sent by Governor Yahaya to Mallam Danladi Maishanu was dated 02/03/2021. Yahaya claimed that based on recommendations of kingmakers of Tangale Chiefdom, he approved the appointment of Maishanu, whereas, Yahaya knows that he lied to the people of Gombe State and to the entire Nigerians.
“The kingmakers of Tangle Chiefdom didn’t vote nor recommend Danladi Maishanu for the seat of Mai Tangale. Governor Yahaya wants to promote an Islamic agenda on Tangale chiefdom.
“We know what they are trying to achieve. The governor of the state, Inuwa Yahaya wants to destroy Tangale people and their land. This was the way a past Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, started.
“During his tenure, he was discriminating against Christians, especially in terms of appointment and in so many ways sponsored the late Moh’d Yusuf, leader of Boko Haram to preach against Christians/Christianity.
“Governor Inuwa is trying to bring disaster to Gombe State but God will surely deal with him very soon. We are also aware of the plans of most of the Muslim governors in the North to take over Christian chiefdoms for Islam by all means!
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State did the same thing by forcing a Fulani man on Adara People in Kajuru LGA as Emir of Adara people after the killing of their first-class chief but the people of Adara land resisted his Islamic agenda.
“Till date, there is no chief in Adara land because their agenda failed. They also tried this in Adamawa State in two LGAs, Guyuk and Numan, but Governor Umaru Fintiri refused to connive with the Muslim traditional rulers in manipulating the process, instead, he appointed the people’s choice.”
