1,041 corps members flee Adamawa over killing of Christians

ABOUT 1,041 corps members serving in Adamawa State have fled the state following the killing of Christians by criminals said to be non-indigenes.A civil society coalition, Network of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria made up of 125 bodies, disclosed this yesterday in Yola, the state capital while addressing journalists.Coordinator of the coalition, Rev. (Dr) Onwubuya Breakforth used the occasion to warn the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against postponing the Adamawa State governorship polls which had been shifted twice on security grounds.Breakforth said the crisis in the state was over and that peace had since returned.He frowned at the curfew still imposed on some local governments in the state and pointed out that if not lifted, it would affect the credibility of the election because many voters would be denied their civic rights of voting for a leader of their choice.'The state government should kindly consider lifting the curfew inthe remaining local government areas immediately to allow free flow ofpersons and materials ahead of the forthcoming election in the state.'From the public opinion poll, it was revealed that Adamawa State government was interested in curfew regime as a way of intimidation that would not allow people to freely exercise their civic rightsduring the election, while others said it was a mechanism implored by the state government to maintain peace and order,' he said.Breakforth disclosed that his group's tour of 18 councils out of 21 in the state and revealed that the massive killings of Christians in Adamawa were carried out by people from outside the state and not indigenes of Adamawa.He pointed out that the electorate had warned INEC over recruiting new ad-hoc staff from other institutions, or the commission bringing its staff from Yobe State, the home state of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa, Mr. Gaidam Kassim.To checkmate crisis in the state in future, the group urged the state government to take proactive actions to ensure lasting peace and tackle the menace of Almajiris, whom he said are easily manipulated and used as tools by evil people to perpetrate crisis.
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