No fewer than 20 persons have been reportedly killed following coordinated attacks by suspected ethnic militias on Kwah and Gyakan communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The latest violence is the most recent in a string of clashes that have plagued the area, widely regarded as one of the most volatile in the state, with more than 10 deadly confrontations recorded in the last six months.
Despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the council since December, attacks have persisted, leaving hundreds dead and many displaced.
Residents said the assailants launched an early morning assault on Gyakan on Saturday, setting homes ablaze and forcing inhabitants to flee.
The attackers were said to have later advanced to Kwah, located about 20 kilometres away, where they continued the onslaught, looting properties and burning houses.
Casualty figures remained uncertain as of Sunday, with fears that the death toll could rise following the recovery of additional bodies after security operatives eventually gained access to the affected communities.
A resident, Onisimus Onisimond, disclosed that four more corpses were recovered as of 2 p.m. on Sunday, noting that further discoveries were likely.
Also speaking, a former Supervisory Councillor in Lamurde LGA, Carlos Nicodemus, described the attack as brutal, alleging that hundreds of armed men stormed Gyakan between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on motorcycles, wielding AK-47 rifles and machetes.
According to him, the attackers overwhelmed defenceless residents before proceeding to Kwah, leaving a trail of destruction.
“The attackers came in large numbers, shooting sporadically and setting houses ablaze. In Gyakan alone, we recovered 10 bodies, while one person was killed in Kwah. More than 400 houses have been destroyed,” he said.
Nicodemus added that the delayed arrival of security personnel, reportedly more than 30 hours after the attacks began, hampered rescue efforts and the evacuation of victims.
“After troops restored calm, five additional bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll to 20,” he stated.
He further lamented that families were unable to promptly bury their dead due to the prolonged insecurity in the area.
The crisis, believed to be rooted in a decades-long land dispute, has reportedly claimed over 3,000 lives and led to the establishment of a commission of inquiry by the Adamawa State Government.
Reacting, the former Village Head of Gyakan, Wali Batakuma, described the attack as shocking and unusually violent.
“We were caught off guard. Armed men on motorcycles, suspected to be from the Chobo ethnic group, launched a coordinated attack, shooting, burning homes, and attacking fleeing residents,” he said.
Batakuma insisted the affected communities did nothing to provoke the attack, adding that hundreds of houses were razed and valuables looted.
He also faulted the late response of security agencies, noting that intervention came after extensive damage had been done.
Efforts to obtain reactions from the opposing side were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.