Tears, high emotions as 10yr old displays machetes cuts at Ombatse panel

Tears flowed at today’s public hearing at the ongoing panel of inquiry into the May 7 murder of security operatives at Alakyo, as a 10 year-old Fulani son of a nomad displayed a badly scarred body after he was allegedly cut and left to die by suspected members of Ombatse, an Eggon group in Nasarawa State.
Emotions ran high with the recount of the incident of January in Ruwan Doma in Kokona Local Government Area, by Alhaji Sule Moahammed Lawal, who testified in support of last week’s memo by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Socio-Cultural Association, a Fulani socio-cultural group. He was led in evidence by the association's counsel, Abubakar Abubakar Dogara.
Lawal invited his 10-year old son, and had him remove his clothes in the courtroom in Lafia, displaying large scars indicating the boy had deep cuts on various parts of his body, when the invaders attacked the village, and allegedly slaughtered his seven-year old sibling.
"One of my children, Salihu, was killed at the spot. He was seven years old. His brother Saleh who is 10 years old was also cut in several places”, the 40-year old father said in tears, sparking up tears from both members of the commission and lawyers as well as members of the public.
Both Lawal and his son Saleh, pulled off their clothes to display large scars. Saleh has a deep horizontal scar on his right cheek, and a twisted right hand which fingers and wrist cannot move because the veins were chopped off.

He said he himself was badly cut and left to die, but added that he woke up on a hospital bed in Keffi after he was rushed to the hospital by relatives. He displayed a badly scarred head, hands, legs and his back as he pulled off his cloths.
He said only one of his three sons and his wives escaped the attack, just as he alleged that 45 of his cows were killed during the suspected Ombatse invasion.
The witness said: "I was lying down inside my house in Ruwan Doma when a boy raised my mosquito net around 1am. The Boy's name is Maye and he is from the Eggon tribe. I asked the boy 'Why are you here at this time?' then he ran away.
"I recognized Maye because I was not asleep when he raised my sleeping mosquito net. I then stood up and ran towards my cows. When I got there I saw people killing my cows with machetes. I ran back to the house and woke my wives and told them to run for safety.
"I then picked my three male children on my motorcycle and attempted to move but Maye and the other boys stopped me. Then I asked Maye 'are you with them too'? They then started cutting me with their machetes and I fell down. They cut my head, hands legs and all over my body.
"I was taken to a hospital in Keffi where I regained consciousness the next day. It was my neighbours from Bassa who buried my son. I did not see his corpse. It was only my wives and one of my sons that escaped the attack. I also lost 45 cows which they killed."

Source; Daily Trust