Adamawa: Between Njoboli and Njoboliyo is no longer a road but dispute on barrier
The Periscope literati
One of the thematic preoccupations of the early eastern Nigerian novelists led by Chinua Achebe of literary memory, was dispute between and among families and communities associated with the ownership of land.
“Lives were lost, properties destroyed, leaving dissension, acrimony and mutual mistrust to permeate the region, resulting from the dispute on ownership of land.”
One would have thought that lives threatening conflicts on land ownership should have been over, given away to industrial revolution for societal transformation. It is however not too near over in Nigeria.
There is the conflict between farmers based on the ownership of land, there is the conflict between farmers and herdsmen on who own not the farm land but its produce for harvest.
Njoboli and Njoboliyo are neighbouring communities in Yola south local government of Adamawa State. The communities are situated along Yola – Furore way. None of once upon a time loving to living in peace communities harbours laziness.
Njoboli is populated by farming and herding Fulani, while Njoboliyo is populated by farming and fishing Bata tribesmen who are also into farming.
The communities have for decades maintained good neighbourliness even without a fence between, until recently, when two people from the two communities, said to be based on barrier of personal interests infested the community, using land dispute with their acrimony for Sunday fracas, the Periscope anatomy of Njoboli – Njoboliyo conflict can reveal.
Mohammed Ismail a journalist on investigation mission, reported that residents of Njoboli were nocturnally attacked, Sunday by the Njoboliyo militia, which resulted to sustained injuries, with one house razed down.
A resident of Njoboli who simply identify himself as Dr. Buba told our reporter on phone that the attackers stormed the community at about 7:00pm on Sunday and set one house ablaze, leaving two members of the community injured.
Buba accused the people of Njoboliyo, for launching the attack over a lingering land dispute between the two communities.
“Do you call this a land dispute? Our community, not a land or farm, was attacked by the induced with ulterior motive tribal militia.
“The Njoboliyos militia stormed our community, razed down a house and the repel to the attack led to two members of a family sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
”Policemen on patrol payroll, later came rescue the situation, they however left without living anyone of them, making our community unsecured, with the fear that there would be a second night raid.
“We remained awake to maintain a dusk to dawn vigil. They didn’t return at night, the attackers came back this morning however, meeting us well prepared, ready to die, protecting our families from humiliation and community from destruction.
“But for the heavy downpour this morning, there could have been a bloody attack,” Buba said.
Reacting on the issue, a youth leader (Sarkin Matasa) of Joboliyo community Geoffrey Mijindada who spoke on the issue said, the fracas was the architect of two members from both sides who were hellbent in hiding behind the land dispute to cause mayhem.
“Of course there has been a land dispute, which we have been trying to resolve. However, this very problem is mainly caused by two people from each side of the divide.
“To tell ourselves the truth, this very conflict could get to be resolved by bring the two Judas to justice. They are the forces behind the dispute,” Mijindada said.
Efforts to speak to the Force Public Relations Officer of Adamawa police command was not successful due largely to network issues.
Similarly, a text message sent to the FPRO was not responded to as at the time of filing this report.
Alfred Musa a citizen, resident in Yola but committed to the spirit of having a loving to living in peace and mutual coexistence between Njoboli and Njoboliyo communities he hailed from, having lamented over the conflict, expressed hope that peace would generally return to Adamawa State, with a governor having the political will in the war against insecurity.