Governor Tanko Al-makura appointed Ombatse cult lawyer as commisioner

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State has appointed Barr. Zackary Zamani Alumaga, as the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA). Alumaga has been allegedly indicted as the legal adviser of the proscribed deadly Ombatse militia cult group in the state. The Ombatse group had, in 2013, massacred over 100 policemen and officers of the Department of Security Services (DSS) at Alakyo village, 18 kilometers outside the state capital of Lafia. Alumaga’s appointment was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Mohammed Hassan, and made available to newsmen, on Thursday, in Lafia. The statement quoted Governor Al-makura as directing the Ombatse lawyer to resume office with immediate effect. Alumaga had played a major role as the lead lawyer to the once proscribe Ombatse militia cult group during the ethnic crisis that bedeviled the state between 2011 and 2014 where the group ambushed and killed over 100 security operatives in Alakyo village of Nasarawa state. The Nasarawa State Government had set up an 8-member judicial commission of inquiry to establish the circumstances which led to the killing of security personnel in Alakyo village on May 7, 2013 chaired by retired Justice Fola Gbadeyan. The commission, which was empowered by section 5 (1) and 176 (1) of the 1999 constitution as amended, had indicted the lead lawyer of the Ombatse cult group, Alumaga, in a White Paper as a culprit in the ethnic skirmishes that preceded the killings of the security personnel. Other members of the panel were Muntasir Mohammed, Brig.-Gen. Woriboye Dick Iruenabere (rtd), Prof. Femi Odekunle and AIG Hamisu Ali-Jos (rtd), Mr. Ibrahim Bakut and Hajiya Zaynab Gogo-Bayero while Malam Abubakar Ishaq served as Secretary of the commission. Barr Alumaga was the legal adviser to the board of the state owned Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) before the panel indicted him. He was thereafter sacked by the state government base on his active involvement in the crisis. Already palpable fears are currently trailing the people of the state over the governor’s decision to bring in one of the leaders of Ombatse cult group on board with many insinuating that the appointment pose a great danger as it is likely to rejuvenate the militia group ahead of 2019. Reacting to this appointment, Hon James Agbu who is from the area told our correspondent that the Ombatse militia cultist group was responsible for the killings of the police and DSS officials at Alakyo village and other serial attacks on communities in the state. According to him “It is now clear that governor Almakura was behind the killings of the 100 security officers and other villagers during the crisis, I’m worried by this appointment, why now that elections are coming that he is bringing in an indicted member of the group to his government “I keep on telling my people that Almakura was a member of Ombatse, and we warned him earlier but he was blind because of his mission to become governor, and now that elections are coming he is reviving the group so that he can disorganize and kill people again” he said He called on President Mohammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of police, the chief of Army staff and other security agencies to come to the aide of the people of the state urgently before governor Almakura throws the state into another state of chaos. “this appointment is for selfish interest and at the detriment of the lives of the people of the state, we cannot afford a repeat of the unfortunate crisis that occurred in the state in recent past, the governor want to truncate the relative peace being enjoyed in the state” he said