The police have been ordered to investigate the remote cause of the clash between a joint security taskforce and christians in Maduganari, Maiuguri, Borno State.
The order was issued by the Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum on the Borno Police Command to immediately investigate the violent collusion between the Borno Geographical Information System and some worshippers at a branch of EYN Church at Maduganari, in Maiduguri.
The Governor condemned in strong terms, the firing of gun shots by a member of security task force as well as some persons who hurled stones at the task force during an encounter on Thursday leading to the death of one person and five persons are currently hospitalized.
Zulum commiserated with families of the person who died and those injured.
The Governor also called the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Borno State, Bishop Mohammed Naga and spoke with him to commiserate with the Christian community, leadership and family of the EYN church in Borno.
The Governor also directed the Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur to visit the hospital where five injured persons are receiving treatment, to empathize with them and also takeover the cost of their treatment.
The collusion started on Wednesday when officials of BOGIS, alongside a joint security task force went to church for regulation of land administration and urban development measures, some of which have affected worship centres (mosques and churches) built without adhering to laid down regulations.
The BOGIS has so far demolished dozens of illegally built mosques and churches for ongoing reforms.
This followed reports from residents of Tudu area of Madaganari on Thursday afternoon that during a demolition exercise of an EYN Church located in the area which was inscribed with demolition notice by the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS).
According to reports, some residents tried to protest the demolition exercise which was an operation carried out by the BOGIS officials led by the Executive Secretary of BOGIS, Engineer Adam Bababe.
And during the operation, gunshots were shot to disperse the protesters by either the vigilante CJTF or police men in the task force team.
This allegedly led to the demised of a resident and four others sustained various degree of injuries and presently responding to treatment in the hospital.
Reacting to the incident, the Executive Secretary of Borno State Geographic Information Services (BOGIS), Engineer Adams Bababe, told our correspondent in Maiduguri that“, I am not aware of any casualty or incident neither killing of any body or shooting at the scene of the assignment.”
“Yes. I actually led the team and operation of the demolition exercise of the EYN Church building as the law demands peacefully and left the place. I don’t know even that there was any attack or shooting or killing”.
“Even when it happened, it was in my absence after I must have left the site. So, I can not say anything about the killing or shooting during the operation but demotion exercise was carried out at the site peacefully . I don’t know anything about someone killed or shot” , Bababe said.
Similarly, the police spokesman, DSP Edet Okon, said that the police operatives did not kill anybody.
However, the commissioner of police has directed that the matter be investigated.
