Conflicting Death Figures Trail Adamawa Terrorist Attack In Gombi

Conflicting death figures have emerged from a terrorist attack on communities in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, with the local government chairman reporting 12 people killed and earlier accounts putting the toll at 11.

The Chairman of Gombi LGA, Markus Ishaya, said the attack happened in the early hours of Monday in Nzangula village, Guyaku Ward. He said 12 people were killed, two others were injured and are receiving treatment at the Cottage Hospital in Gombi, and a woman was abducted. He added that the EYN Church was burned, three houses were set ablaze and two shops were vandalised.

Punch reported the chairman’s account in an updated story after its earlier report quoted residents saying 11 bodies had been recovered. Daily Post also reported the 11-death figure for the attack on Zaranga village in the same local government area, describing how the attackers invaded while residents slept, opened fire and set houses ablaze.

A resident who spoke to Punch said the invaders shot at people and burned houses, and that hundreds were still missing while search teams and security personnel combed the surrounding forest. Another resident said his wife and two other family members were among the dead. The attacks come barely two weeks after terrorists killed more than 10 people in Hong Local Government Area of the state.

The Adamawa State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the attack. Punch said repeated calls to the command’s spokesman were not answered, and the differing figures from Nzangula and Zaranga villages have left the full picture of Monday’s violence still unclear.

Sources: Punch, Daily Post