The Bassa Cultural Development Union (BCDU) has dissociated itself from the recent attacks on Okudu village in Umaisha District of Toto LGA of Nasarawa State, insisting that there is no clash between the Gbagyi and the Bassa ethnicities.
This was contained in a statement signed by its Chairman, Emmanuel M. Gbaji, and obtained by Daily Trust in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Thursday.
While condemning the attacks on Okudu village, Gbaji faulted plans to link attack to the Bassa and the Gbagyi, noting that the attack demonstrated a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life and a godless disdain for peaceful co-existence.
The statement further described the attack as the mindless work of criminals and miscreants masquerading as freedom fighters or opinion leaders calculated to tarnish the image of the Bassa community.
According to the statement, “We want to make it abundantly clear that there is no clash between Gbagyi and Bassa over any matter whatsoever. The Gbagyi are the closest cultural relatives of the Bassa and we have no history or record of conflict between us.”
The group reaffirmed its resolve to the peaceful return of the displaced Bassa community, assuring that it was committed to achieving sustainable solutions to all the outstanding disputes based on brotherly dialogue and mutual respect.
