Alhaji Ardo Adamu Gabdo, a community leader in Panyam District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau, is accused of being killed, but the Panyam District Development Association (PDDA) has said that this is not the case, contrary to what the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has claimed.
The organisation claimed that the community leader was not in Panyam town on the purported day in a statement signed by its chairman, Longse Jokle, and secretary, Joshua Gufwan.
It is unnecessary to go through the details of the alleged heinous act, but one thing immediately stands out and needs to be emphasised for the benefit of history and posterity: the Ardo was not where he was purported to be on the alleged date, in Panyam town, let alone in the residence of our revered traditional leader, “the Mishkaham Panyam.
“This can be proven by the fact that no one claimed to have ever seen him in the city on the mentioned day. If it were the case, the love that the people of Panyam have for him would have prevented anyone from even trying to approach him, let alone kill him as the Fulani umbrella organisation MACBAN and the special task force operation Safe Heaven have claimed.
The group claimed that the government believed the residents of Panyam to be peace-loving and understanding and that they had no good reason to take such drastic measures. They added that the residents would be more than willing to help uncover the misery behind the alleged disappearance if the culprits were located within its borders.
It voiced its concern with some people’s comments that were made against the honourable residents of Panyam even before the investigation into Ardo’s disappearance had started.
According to him, if Ardo is discovered dead, it must have been the work of criminal elements, which can be found in every community, and we should not be held responsible for their actions.
While we mourn the events that are taking place, we also want to strongly denounce the STF’s action, which on Monday this week transferred the Mishkaham Panyam from his palace to Mangu in order to question him about the disappearance of the Ardo, who incidentally was one of the closest community leaders to him.
So why didn’t they question the conventional king in his palace, we wonder. It was disrespectful to our ancient throne to risk hauling him away to Mangu at that terrible hour of the night. Would they, for whatever reason, do the same to the local traditional leaders? The crowd inquired.
Therefore, in response to ongoing arrests and detentions of the populace, the Association urged the military to leave the traditional monarch alone as well as to let the people of Panyam breathe free air.
