Ombatse cult — Attorney General Armed men who ambushed and killed more than 63 security personnel in a remote village in Nasarawa state in May 2013, sparking national outrage, did so without mystical powers as widely claimed, the state attorney general has told a government panel investigating the deaths. Widespread speculation of extra-natural powers in the killings thrived after the heavily armed militias said to be members of a sect, Ombatse, shockingly overpowered equally armed policemen and operatives of the State Security Service in a dramatic but deadly ambush. The commissioner for justice, Innocent Lagi, said the security operatives were not killed mystically but by humans who explored flaws in the planning and execution of the operation. He said the government must do all it can to ensure that those behind the killing of the operatives are brought to justice. “Government needs to do much more than that has already been done, both at the federal, state and Judiciary to ensure justice for the dead officers,” Mr. Lagi told the Justice Fola Gbadeyan (rtd) judicial commission of inquiry. Mr Lagi who presented a memo on behalf of the state government, said government at every level needed to be proactive and do much more than that has already been done. He explained that although the federal government has responded positively on other security issues in the state by providing army barracks in Doma local government of the state, a helipad for security surveillance and other logistics, much needed to be done about the killings that occurred in Alakyo in Lafia local government area of the state. The attorney general said that the state government is committed to the security of lives and properties of the people of the state. “We vow to ensure justice to the slain officers and anybody arrested in connection with the incident, government will ensure that he is brought to justice,” he said. He some suspects were already in detention in connection with some incident prior to the crisis and that investigation is ongoing to ensure that justice is done. Mr. Lagi also said that the state government has always been proactive on security issues immediately it is brought to the notice of the state. Earlier while presenting the state government memo, the attorney general said that the activities of Ombatse took another dimension on the 13th of January 2013 when they engaged security operatives along Doma Lafia Highway in Tundun Amba and several other villages.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 17:29:46 +0000
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