The Gombe Christian procession deaths

During the Easter celebrations recently, five persons were killed and 13 others injured in a truck accident in Tashan Gona in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State. According to the sector commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Samson Kaura, the incident occurred at about 7:20 a.m. on Easter Monday after a truck laden with grains suffered brake failure and lost control, veering into a group of Christian faithful who were participating in a religious procession to mark Easter. The incident was also confirmed by the Gombe State Police Command, which said the victims included  two males and three females, adding that eight others were receiving treatment and responding positively at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, and the General Hospital, Billiri. The Command’s PPRO, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, said: “A trailer truck transporting grains from Adamawa State to Gombe lost control due to brake failure while approaching a gathering of Christian faithful who were in procession to celebrate the Easter season in Billiri town. The vehicle veered off the road and tragically ran into the crowd, including some Muslim residents who were observing from the roadside. Police operatives from Billiri Division swiftly responded to the distress call, providing immediate rescue efforts and conveying the injured victims to the nearest hospital for emergency medical attention. In the aftermath of the incident, some aggrieved youths in the area set the vehicle ablaze, looted shops, and subsequently marched to the Billiri Divisional Police Headquarters.”

The Easter Monday incident  was, sadly, the third in six years. In April 2019, eight persons were confirmed dead and 30 others injured as vehicles crashed into religious processions in Alheri junction, Biu Road, Gombe State. An operative of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) reportedly rammed his car into a procession of Christian youths. The youths, who were celebrating Easter, ran after the NSCDC operative and another occupant of his car and lynched them. Said the chairman of the Gombe State Battalion Brigade of the Boys Brigade, Isaac Kwadang: “The NSCDC officer, though not on official duty, met the procession, exchanged words with the youths, and drove past them. He allegedly switched off his car’s full lights, reversed the vehicle, and rammed the procession killing eight people on the spot.” The Chief Medical Director of the Gombe State Specialist Hospital, Shuaibu Muazu, confirmed that some dead bodies were deposited in their facility.

 In December last year, a Sharon seven-seater mini-bus also ‘lost control’ and crashed into a procession of Christians on their way to the Government House and the Emir of Gombe’s palace for the traditional Christmas homage. Although no lives were lost at the scene, several people sustained injuries and were rushed to various hospitals for immediate medical attention. According to an eyewitness, the Christian faithful had just concluded Christmas services at their respective churches in Tunfure and had gathered to begin the procession, singing praises and drumming in high spirits, when tragedy struck. The eyewitness, who narrowly escaped the crash,  said that the vehicle unexpectedly ploughed into the crowd from behind. Said the Gombe State Police Command at the time: “Today, Wednesday, 25th December 2024, at about 1400hrs, Christian faithful from the Tunfure community, while on procession escorted by teams of policemen along Bauchi Road, were on their way to the Emir’s Palace and Government House. A Sharon vehicle loaded with bags of rice, with registration number yet to be identified and driven by an unknown individual, lost control and crashed into the procession, injuring at least 22 people. Thankfully, no lives were lost. The victims were evacuated to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) for medical attention.” The statement added  that the vehicle was set ablaze by an angry mob, while the driver fled to an unknown location.

The procession tragedies are, of course, not limited to Gombe State. For instance, during the Easter Monday celebrations in Adamawa State in 2019, a commercial bus rammed worshippers, injuring 17 people. The incident happened in the Numan Local Government Area. One of the witnesses, Stanley Jaule, said the affected worshippers were marching towards a mountain referred to locally as Galilee when the bus crashed into their procession from the rear.

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Although accidents can and do happen, the government has a bounden duty to work hard at preventing them, especially when they become rather recurrent. In Gombe, there are suggestions in some quarters that the incidents reported as accidents may have been underlined by some sinister motives. But whether or not such insinuations are true, there is a disturbing aspect to the procession accidents, particularly given their religious and cultural nature  and the frequency of occurrence. If other incidents were mere accidents, the one involving the NSCDC official, who sadly was subjected to mob justice, certainly looks premeditated or at least vengeful, given that the official had been involved in an argument with the procession participants, and manoeuvred his vehicle in an extremely reckless manner that suggested that he drove the vehicle in a fit of rage. Indeed, certain reports of the incident on international platforms ascribed a murderous intent to it. That is why, even if it does nothing else, the state government, which commendably hinted at the prosecution of the suspects in the present case, must ensure that future processions receive adequate security coverage, and are organised in such a manner as to eliminate the possibility of the loss of life. The processions do not take place all the time, only at Easter and Christmas when the Gombe Christian faithful pay homage to their traditional and political leaders. Society loses nothing by having such processions which, ordinarily, are joyous occasions. It is also instructive to note that the latest accident happened after the vehicle in question veered off the road, meaning that the procession participants were quite mindful of the need to allow free flow of traffic.

Going forward, the organisers should be more security- conscious. Prior to the event, there should be massive public awareness. In the same vein, the government should look into the larger question of the enforcement of traffic regulations. For instance, the reported cases of brake failure may be underlined by a deliberate refusal on the part of the owners/drivers to ensure proper maintenance of trucks. The government must not allow the procession notoriety to continue.