By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Residents of Lubo town in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State are now living in fear following the gruesome murder of the Pastor in charge of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Lubo, Reverend Bala Galadima, Sunday morning.
The development sent shock waves on worshipers and had affected worship in Reverend Bala’s congratulation. Our Correspondent gathered that the moody worship was characterized by messages of condolence, comfort and encouragement.
An eye witness who got into Late Reverend Bala’s house with other youths shortly after the incident disclosed to our Correspondent that the suspected bandits, numbering about eight, were said to have entered the town from the western side in black attires wielding AK47 rifles.
According to his narration to our Correspondent, they came into the town around 01:00am scaring residents with gun shots, as a result, people were scared of coming out.
He stated further that they went straight to a very big compound housing the Puma’s family after they had gone to ECWA Church where they where sighted by a small boy who ran home.
In the Puma’s compound, they ransacked virtually all the houses belonging to different families and afterwards carted away N300,000 at gun point from Musa Puma’s wife. “They took away a tender child from Musa’s wife and threatened to kill the child if she doesn’t give them money and that’s how they got N300,000 from that house”, the informant told our Correspondent.
He disclosed further that after ransacking the entire compound, they asked for the Pastor’s house which was just a fence away. They broke into the Pastor’s house through the window and went straight to his bedroom where they shot him in the upper part of his back.
According to the informant, after the assailants had disappeared, some youths went into Reverend Bala’s house and took him to the town health centre. The informant said he suspected the Reverend was already dead because he held him closely and couldn’t feel any heart beat from his chest.
He was later taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe where the corpse is currently deposited in the mortuary waiting for internment.
He said, when the Police came around 03:00am, they found ten shells of AK47 bullets scattered in the Reverend’s house with blood stains all over.
When contacted, the Gombe Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Buhari Abdullahi (DSP), confirmed the incident but stated that they’re expecting a brief from Kwadom Police Division before making a statement.
He added that the State Police Commissioner, Bello Yahaya, had since visited the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe. No statement concerning the incident had been received from the Police as promised by the PPRO as at the time of filing this report.
End.
