The group is barely a week since it made its public debut, but it has recorded astonishing successes in its campaign of violence, crushing everything in its way, in what has made the name so popular that Ombatse now hardly needs any introduction.
Between Saturday, last week, and yesterday, Ombatse has reigned top on government’s official discussions and actions, when the members engaged soldiers and men of the State Security Service (SSS), on one hand, and Agyaragu, a town at the outskirts of Lafia, the state capital, on another. Over 10 corpses had been recorded after Ombatse entered town, and meted mayhem on Agyaragu, where they burned down no less than 50 houses, and many shops, and cut down trees to remove shade over the heads of survivors.
Ombatse, Eggon for “time has come”, is a spiritual group of the Eggon people of Nasarawa State, said to be born out of the traditions handed to them by their ancestors in the heaven. According to a local newspaper report, Ombatse was founded by six leaders, namely Sgt Alaku Ehe, Zabura Musa Akwanshiki, Shuaibu Alkali, Haruna Musa Zico Kigbu, Iliyasu Hassan Gyabo and Abdullahi Usman, with Zico, a Jerusalem pilgrim, and Akwashiki, the chairman and secretary, respectively.
In the report, Zico, the chairman, who claimed that the group has over 50 branches scattered all over Nigeria, particularly in Eggon land of Nasarawa, the campaign was came from a revelation through a dream where the ancestors directed the male natives to rise up and cleanse the land of sundry societal ills.
Christianity and Islam are strong among Eggons, one of Nasarawa’s most populous ethnic group; and who are spread across all parts of the state, but age-long traditional values including Ombatse, still have their place and roots, and are being jealously guarded against incursion.
Ombatse, which practitioners claim as a traditional religion handed to man from heavens, is a mysticism which seeks to cleanse the society of sundry ills, including adultery, fornication, theft, drunkenness, smoking, envy, killing; to pave way for the culture of morality and chastity.
The spiritual practice which was hitherto silent, and spoken about only in whispers, recently became bold among the people, with its leaders claiming that heightening societal ills provoked them into a crusade in the hope of cleansing the land.
Its day is Saturday, according to the practitioners, who said on such days, new members are initiated, and oaths are administered to converts to cleanse them of their sins. But women are never allowed near Alogani Centre, or any such place selected for initiations and cleansing ceremony, except unmarried teenagers who are believed to be pure from fornication.
“Teenagers are allowed to go near and sell water and soft drinks. That is all”, a member of the group had told this reporter, last Saturday, when Ombatse members poured into Lafia-Akwanga Road, and stopped vehicular movements for about five hours in a violent protest.
The group made its first public debut that day, after members stormed out of Alogani Centre, and thronged the road, in violent protest against a visit to the centre, by soldiers and operatives of the SSS, who were for security inquiries about the gathering.
Three truckloads of armed soldiers, according to members of the mystic group spoken to, had stormed Allogani Centre, the spiritual centre at the foot of Eggon Hills, and attempted making arrests of the group’s leaders.
“The soldiers stormed us while we were doing our traditional oath taking at Alogani Centre. They claimed they were sent to take our chairman and secretary with them. They didn’t say who sent them. They didn’t say where they were taking them to. They also didn’t give any reasons”, said a member.
The protesters said the practitioners, numbering well over a hundred, resisted giving up their leaders for arrest, provoking the team of soldiers into opening fire to keep the advance of the members at them.
“But their bullets fell on tough skin”, said a protester who alleged that there were sporadic gunshots, in what injured no less than three soldiers. But he declined saying who shot the soldiers, and how, although he claimed members of the mystic group were prepared to face bullets without being hurt. Some of them, who were apparently leaders, wore black dresses and caps to match.
Another claimed that the clash that ensued at Alogani left one of the security vehicles smashed. “The vehicle is still in the bush”, he said.
In protest against the disruption of their ritual, the protesters said, they were provoked to storm out of the bush, and pour into the road, where they barricaded passages, to express their grievances.
For about five hours, lasting between 12pm and five, the members held the road, in what attracted truckloads of armed riot policemen on both sides, to guard against any spread of violence. But the ritualists, who held clubs, stones, machetes and axes, went on unleashing violence, smashing vehicles when drivers attempted to cross the barricade.
The incident held up traffic along the road on both sides, stretching into kilometers, with stranded travelers hurling insults at both security agencies and governments for lacking the competence to respond to emergencies.
Director of SSS, Abubakar Bubuche had confirmed the violence, just as Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura had to leave Lafia, and drove there to calm them down.
On Wednesday, youths in black dresses and caps to match, invaded Agyaragu, and in a style that put the town and its environs under their seige, they attacked perpetrated arson, targeting houses Koro people in a crisis that stretched for 10 hours.
The administrator of Jenkwe Development Area, Wuduyamba Agidi, also a Koro, was attacked at about 10am, at the council secretariat along Lafia-Makurdi Road, by the youths who bore dangerous weapons including guns, machetes and axes, and led an invasion that lasted over an hour there. The next day when the state deputy governor, Dameshi Barau Luka visited to ascertain the extent of destruction, Agidi said reports made to him by displaced persons showed that the youths were members of Ombatse.
Trouble, according to him, started over a stolen motorcycle which was discovered between an Eggon and a Koro. But investigation into the robbery, by members of the vigilante, provoked the invasion which also torched the palace of Zhe Migli, the paramount ruler of Koro people, Chief Ayuba Agwadu. The chief managed to escape after his guards smuggled him out of the palace from an escape route.
The palace, by Thursday, was still emitting smoke from the charred remains including the chamber which was completely razed down. He did not return to the palace, even during the visit of the government team, to speak of his experience.
When the deputy governor, who was accompanied by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hamza Elayo and heads of security agencies in the state, paid the visit, nine corpses including children were sited at various locations of the now deserted town.
Most of the corpses had machete and axe cuts, and were burnt, either on streets or inside the many of the houses burnt down.
At a point, an elderly man, who remained speechless before the visiting government team, sat quiet on the veranda of his burnt house, with his head buried in his palms as he mourned his son whose burnt body was lying only metres away.
Agidi Dachu, the elderly man, said he watched his son being butchered, when he finally opened his mouth to speak.
“I couldn’t recognize any of the youths who stormed our house and began to burn it down. They held guns, machetes and axes, and went from house to house, burning them down. They held my son and butchered him, and thenset him on fire”, the elderly man said.
At another spot, displaced persons who said they slept in the bush, had just returned and were picking up the little of what was left of their burnt homes.
“We are leaving to Doma town. We will remain there”, said one of them.
But the deputy governor, Dameshi Barau Luka, appealed to them to stay back, assuring them of tighter security to protect lives and property.
At yet another point, residents pointed at charred remains of two corpses in a corner of a room. They said one of them belonged to Zhe Meri, a traditional ruler who was burnt in a house where he had been hiding for months after he ran from his native Gidan Rai in the neighbouring Doma Local Government Area.
He ran from Gidan Rai which was hit by Fulani nomads and peasants’ crisis, months ago, to Agyaragu, but Zhe Meri, the district head of Gidan Rai and his elder sister were roasted to death in a house where they had been taking refuge.
The traditional ruler was trapped in the house, where he was burnt alongside his elder sister, displaced persons who returned to the town said.
Reporters were shown the building, where the charred remains of the traditional rule’s corpse and that of his sister, were seen in a corner of the burnt one-room apartment.
Meanwhile, armed policemen and soldiers were able to evacuate a dozen youth corps members serving there, to Lafia.
Truckloads of soldiers and armed policemen could be seen on ground, most of them stationed along Lafia-Makurdi Road, to protect travelers.
State commissioner of police, Abayomi Akeremale said some arrests were made, but was not specific.
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