Photographs have emerged of the individuals on an Easter procession in Gombe State who were killed or injured by a truck said to be on a suspected terror attack.
The media had earlier confirmed the tragic deaths of five people in the incident, which included four women and one man.
The families shared some of the photographs of the deceased and injured , as the community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the attack.
Eyewitnesses had vehemently rejected the official narrative provided by the police regarding the Easter Monday tragedy where the 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.
The media 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.”
Madeline, a young woman who narrowly escaped the horror, shared her harrowing experience. “I had stepped away briefly to take a phone call,” she recalled, tears in her eyes. “When I turned back, it looked like a horror movie — people were screaming, crushed bodies everywhere. That truck rolled over my fellow worshippers like they were nothing.”
According to Usman, five people were confirmed dead, including four women.
Gombe State authorities have announced that the government would cover all medical expenses for the 20 injured victims, according to Samaila Uba Misili, spokesperson for Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Leave a Reply