Gombe witnesses narrate how Christmas procession turned tragic

The Captain of the Third Gombe West Company and leader of the ill-fated Christmas procession, Shamsudeen Kachalla, has recounted the harrowing experience that happened on the festivity day and left many injured.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the procession, which is a regular ritual to show love and solidarity, was first heading to the Gombe Emir’s palace and from there to the Government House to pay the routine  Christmas homage before the incident occurred.

Our correspondent gathered that the vehicle in question which was a Sharon model, was burnt by an angry mob following the anger that stemmed up from the crowd after they were told that the cause of the accident was a result of an alleged break failure.

The vehicle was said to be laden with grains both inside and on the top when the accident occurred around 2pm on Wednesday afternoon.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident, described it as an accident, saying, “I think the driver lost break. You know that place is a hill. The driver was carrying rice in the vehicle, including atop the roof of the vehicle.”

Narrating his group’s ordeal, Kachalla said, “We were proceeding peacefully from Tumfure to the Emir’s palace when suddenly, a car appeared out of nowhere and hit our boys. We tried to stop him, but he drove straight into the procession.”

Kachalla, who was at the rear of the procession, recalled the chaos that ensued, saying, “I was coordinating traffic from behind when the incident occurred. There were casualties, and I’m still counting.

“So far, we have 12 injured at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, and 28 others fatally injured, but thankfully, no deaths.”

He praised his team for remaining calm, a situation that helped prevent further chaos. “If my men weren’t calm, the situation would have been worse. We asked them to return as we couldn’t proceed with the rally.”

Arewa PUNCH gathered that the procession, which has been an annual event, was well-coordinated with security agencies that included the police, hunters, and personnel of Operation Hattara.

Kachalla confirmed this when he added,  “All security agencies were well-informed, and we had personnel deployed to the venue to ensure a peaceful procession.”

Another eyewitness to the incident, Danladi Jason, also confirmed the procession’s movement and location when he stressed that “the procession was coming from the Tumfure area to the Gombe Emir’s palace. We started the journey from Tumfure only for the man to hit our members and injured many of us.”

Meanwhile, a delegation led by the Christian Association of Nigeria Gombe State Chairman Reverend Alphonsus Jinga paid Governor Muhammadu Yahaya at the Government House.

The governor decried the incident while promising to ensure the full recovery of the victims, saying “We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable, and decisive action will be taken against anyone found wanting in this incident. The safety and well-being of our citizens remain our top priority.”