According to Usman, five people were confirmed dead, including four women.
The Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the truck accident that killed five persons and injured many others in Billiri on Easter Monday.
This was communicated in a statement issued by the governor’s office on Tuesday.
“This is a dark and painful moment for the families affected and for all of us as a people. On behalf of the government and people of Gombe State, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray for the swift and full recovery of those currently receiving treatment.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Christian community in Billiri and beyond, as well as with all those affected by this tragedy.”
“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that the victims receive the best possible medical care. We will come out of this tragedy more united,” the governor stated, calling for calm and collective healing.”
Eyewitnesses have vehemently rejected the official narrative provided by the police regarding the Easter Monday tragedy in Gombe State, where a truck rammed into a Christian procession, killing five worshippers and injuring several others.
While authorities have described the incident as a tragic accident, residents and witnesses allege it was a deliberate attack meant to instill fear and disrupt future Easter observances.
SaharaReporters initially reported that a truck transporting goods veered off its course and ploughed into the annual Easter march.
However, after a video of the incident went viral and more testimonies emerged, suspicions about the true nature of the event deepened, prompting calls for further investigation.
According to Yusuff Haskee, former Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) in Gombe State, the incident was anything but accidental.
“This is a long-standing tradition that begins on Sunday evening and concludes after Monday service,” Haskee said. “We always inform security agencies well in advance. So, where were they when this happened?”
Speaking emotionally, Haskee added:
“This wasn’t a brake failure — it was a calculated act of intimidation against Christians. I even called out the police publicly during a live radio programme in Gombe yesterday.”
Another eyewitness, Usman, expressed similar doubts:
“If the driver lost control, did he also lose the ability to honk? Why didn’t he warn the crowd? The truck came silently from behind — no horn, no signal — just straight into the people. Then it stopped on its own, just ten meters ahead. That’s not an accident. That’s evil.”
The Police Command in Gombe State had said the trailer which plunged into the Easter celebrants lost control.
SAHARA REPORTERS
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