The Gombe State government has vowed to sanction individuals indicted by the Commission of Inquiry on the February Billiri crisis.
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, said this while receiving the report from the Chairman, Retired Justice Gurama Mahmood in Gombe on Wednesday.
“We must learn to dig into circumstances and the matters that led to such clashes, so as to prevent a repeat in the future.
“We will impose sanctions where necessary, to control our relationship, going forward,” he said.
Yahaya said the crisis was the greatest challenge of his administration since assumption of office in 2019.
He explained that the commission was constituted to ascertain the causes of the crisis with a view to preventing future reoccurrence.
The governor appreciated the effort of the commission and other stakeholders for a job well done, while assuring that he would go through the report and properly implement it as a way of preventing a repeat in the future.
Submitting the report, Mahmood said a fair hearing was given to all those involved in the crisis to ensure justice.
He said that of the 181 petitions and memoranda received, 154 were determined, while 27 were struck out either for want of diligent prosecution or after being withdrawn by the petitioners.
“The commission has some weighty allegations against some individuals which were not determined because they were unfortunately unsubstantiated,” Mahmood said.
He stated that the commission, therefore, made recommendations for further investigation in that regard.
The chairman noted that though the commission was given 60 days, it sought for additional 51 days in order to accommodate the tremendous response from all stakeholders.
While commending the governor for the opportunity to serve the state, Mahmood lauded the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the media and all stakeholders for the success of the task.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Commission was constituted by Yahaya to look into the Billiri violent protest that occurred in February over alleged delay in appointing the new Mai Tangle of Tangale Chiefdom.(NAN)
