Questions From Potiskum Cattle Market
Not unexpectedly, the exact figure of people who died and those who were injured by explosions and gunshots is in dispute. While the spokesman of the military Joint Task Force [JTF] in the area Col Dahiru Abdussalam said 29 people died, police authorities confirmed that 37 people were killed, while some hospital sources said they […]
Not unexpectedly, the exact figure of people who died and those who were injured by explosions and gunshots is in dispute. While the spokesman of the military Joint Task Force [JTF] in the area Col Dahiru Abdussalam said 29 people died, police authorities confirmed that 37 people were killed, while some hospital sources said they counted up to 56 corpses in one makeshift hospital mortuary alone. The senator representing Yobe South later said the casualty figure was much higher than even that.
That such a disastrous event should occur in such a large, rich, crowded and very popular market calls for urgent answers from the authorities, especially because the event unfolded in two stages. The market is an international one that is at its busiest on two days a week, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On these days, cattle traders from as far afield as Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroun as well as from all the neighbouring Nigerian states come to Potiskum to sell or to buy cattle. Needless to say, most of the transactions here are done in cash, which means tens of millions of naira must be found in the pockets and wallets of the traders on each market day.
On this particular day, a gang of suspected armed robbers attacked the market early in the day and attempted to dispossess the traders of their money. The cattle traders, who are tough as they come, fought back and chased away the robbers. They also succeeded in grabbing one of the robbers, beat him to a pulp and then set him ablaze. Such an event should have immediately invited a stepping up of security in and around the market, but apparently no such thing was done.
As the sun was setting on the same day, the heavily armed robbers returned, this time on a revenge mission. They proceeded to block all the gates leading into the fenced market, hurled some explosives inside it, and then opened fire at any and everyone in the ensuing stampede. They also followed up with machete attacks on both the traders and the cattle that were tied to stakes all over the market. Dozens of such large cows and oxen died in the blaze set by the explosives. The attack went on for three hours, according to the survivors, and in that very long time period, no one came to the aid of the traders. Since then, the market has been a ghost scene and all its bustling commercial activity has come to a complete halt.
The first issue to raise here is, Potiskum is one of the 15 local government areas in the country which have been under emergency rule since President Goodluck Jonathan proclaimed it on December 31, last year. Emergency rule for the most part means heightened security measures and the deployment of joint military and police patrols all over the area. Of course the emergency measures were directed at the Boko Haram insurgency that has bedevilled Potiskum since last year. But then, one does not expect such large and heavily armed gangs, even if they were armed robbers and not insurgents, to roam around unhindered in an area under emergency rule.
Immediately after the events at the cattle market, the victims pointed out that there was a military checkpoint not far away from the market. It is inconceivable that the soldiers manning the check point did not hear gunshots and explosions taking place so close to them. Could it be also that the attack team passed through the checkpoint on its way to attack the market? Even if the soldiers at the checkpoint were few and could not on their own stop the attacks, three hours was more than enough time to call for reinforcements from Potiskum town and to tackle the attackers. Answers to these questions are urgently needed from the military and police authorities who failed to act on that day to stem the carnage.
Nor have the authorities shown sufficient concern for the plight of the victims and survivors in the wake of the carnage. While Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam and the police commissioner promptly visited the burnt market and the survivors in hospitals, no big Federal Government official has so far visited them. Chairman of the Cattle Breeders and Sellers Association of Nigeria, Yobe State chapter Alhaji Musa Mairago was quoted as saying they heard rumours that Vice President Namadi Sambo and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal were on their way to visit, but no one turned up. President Goodluck Jonathan himself ought to visit the scene of this carnage. The innocent traders at the Potiskum cattle market, hardworking Nigerians who were contributing to this country’s economic efforts, deserve relief from the authorities that spectacularly failed to protect them.