A Lagos State based Engineer, Barka Wasinda Garnvwa is one of the 5 victims of the December 24th deadly attack on Garkida community in Gombi Local Government Area, Adamawa state that were abducted by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents.
According to sources, the recent attack claimed the lives of more than 10 people, while property including houses, cars/ heavy duty machines, a church and shops worth billions were burnt to down.
The Lagos stated based Engineer and other victims abducted were subsequently executed by the hoodlums as contained in a video which thrended on social media few days after the incident.
Late Engineer Barka, an indigene of Garkida has been in Lagos for over 15 years, and was staff of Niger Doog Apapa, Lagos state, until December, 2020 where he decided to visit his country home in Adamawa state.
His visit to the town brought a lot of joy and happiness to his aged mother, Rebeccah Wasinda Garnvwa, relations, family and friends who appreciated God Almighty for bringing him and his family members safely to celebrate Christmas together after 15 years.
The joy of his visit knew no bounds as all his 3 children who were all born in Lagos, were extremely happy to set their eyes for the first time on their grand mother, other family members and above all the home town of their parents.
But the joy of the man's visit and that of his family members was punctured on the Christmas eve when the Boko Haram invaded the town.
Eye witness informed NEWS PLATFORM who was in Garkida that the insurgents who drove into the town in 15 gun trucks, were heavily armed with sophisticated weapons and raided the town since 4:20pm until 11:00pm during which they kidnapped their victims.
It was learnt that late Engineer Barka who was moving round the town in his private car for sight seeing having left the community for over 15 years, fell in the hands of the agents of darkness immediately when they stormed the town and was kidnapped along side 4 people to an unknown destination during which they were gruesomely murdered.
NEWS PLATFORM saw where the Lagos based Engineer was abducted within the town and how his car was burnt down.
This was the scenario the family of the Engineer found themselves, and it was the reflection of pains and pangs which Garkida community was exposed to on the day before Christmas.
It could be recalled that the community was invaded on 21st February, 2020 and again attacked on 24th December, 2020, which left the residents narrating their ordeal in the hands of the insurgents and the state of insecurity.
More so, during the December attack, the insurgents who invaded Garkida General Hospital, broke into the main pharmaceutical store of the hospital and carted away all drugs in the store and damaged 1 ambulance of the hospital.
Equally, during the operation, the Boko Haram stormed a garrage where Triactar Construction Company paked its heavy duty machines and burnt 9 Tippas, 4 Caterpillars and 2 Rollers.
The attack on the construction company has adversely affected the construction of Mararaba Garkida road as the company is still counting its losses.
Aside houses and stores that were burnt and invaded, a church, Living Faith Church Worldwide, a.k.a Winners' Chapel was also set ablaze for second time in less than a year by the Boko Haram.
Several residents including a member Vigilante Group disclosed that the insurgents operated for more than 7 hours without interruption until the intervention of Gombi Local Hunters who chased them away.
In his reaction on the incident, an Elder Statesman and erstwhile Sole Administrator Gombi LGC, Baba Tawih S. Tarfa, lamented that it appears Garkida community has been neglected by the government best on the reasons known to those on helm of affairs.
Tawih told NEWS PLATFORM that though as small as Garkida community, it has contributed tremendously in the education sector, agriculture, administratively and in military and has not seen the reason why will be allowed to suffer such an attacks.
He observed that after February's attack, the Federal Government promised to deploy 2 battalion to safeguard the area including surrounding communities that reside at the fringes of Sambisa forest, saying that since that day they have neither seen nor heard anything from the government.
According to him, a serious and responsible democratic government is the one that is very much concerned about the safety of its citizens, and called on the government to fulfill its promise so as to ensure peace and stability in Garkida and its surrounding communities.
Also speaking, a Chief Forestry Officer, Gideon Mai Sule Biu said that the December attack was the 5th time the insurgents invaded the community since the emergence of Boko Haram, and noted with dismay how recent attack was more devastating than the previous ones.
Gideon Biu told NEWS PLATFORM that they have lost more than 10 people during the attack, and that not all those that were killed are indigenes of Garkida, saying that he knew of 2 Cameroonians who came to town for a construction job but were killed during the attack.
He disclosed that Garkida has lost innocent lives and billions more especially that of Triactar construction company, explaining that Garkida is near Sambisa forest and needed like 2 to 3 battalion to safeguard it and other surrounding communities.
On his part, an ex-Administrator Garkida Development Area, Hon. Hussein Buba Zoaka popularly known Commot, said that they had received security report of possible attack for 2 hours before their coming, saying despite the report, the insurgents still accomplished their mission unchallenged.
Hon. Commot appealed to both FG and state governments to take the issue of security of lives and property of the citizens seriously, advocating for proactive steps towards curtailing security threats.
Also speaking, a member of Garkida Vigilante Group, names withheld narrated that he counted 15 gun trucks mounted with weapons, and that one can hardly differentiate the assailants with Nigerian troops.
He added that some of their people fell into the hands of the insurgents, because they thought they were military that came to rescue them, saying that the security situation of Garkida is sympathetic that is in dire need of quick intervention from the government.
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