The remains of Reverend Bala Galadima, a pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) who was tragically killed by unknown gunmen in Lubo District, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, were laid to rest on Tuesday in his hometown, Lano.
The funeral service which took place at ECWA Church Lano, was marked by deep sorrow and emotional tributes, where the community gathered to bid farewell to the late clergyman.
Leading the official government delegation was the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr Manassah Jatau, who conveyed the heartfelt condolences of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and the people of the state.
Jatau extended sympathies to the deceased’s immediate family, the Christian community, and the entire Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area.
He urged all to accept the death as an act of God and called for calm, asking the ECWA leadership to avoid quick judgement and speculation or assumptions until the facts were clear.
In his address, Jatau noted that while the killing of a clergyman was a tragic incident, there was no conclusive evidence linking the act to a particular group, religious or tribal.
He recalled similar past incidents where the perpetrators were later found to be members of the same group, tribe or religion.
Jatau further directed the security agencies to leave no stone unturned in apprehending those responsible for the killing and ensure they face justice. He urged leaders to exercise restraint and patience in handling such sensitive matters to prevent the situation from escalating.
“I appeal to you as leaders to be patient, calm and avoid reaching conclusions until the culprits are arrested. You could recall some time ago when a pastor was killed and it was later discovered that the culprits are members of the same church. Just recently, there were killings in Kuri town, Yamaltu -Deba Local Government and the general notion was that it was Fulani herdsmen but it was later discovered that the culprits are not in any way Fulani people,” he added.
The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Reverend Father Joseph Alphonsus Shinga, along with the ECWA Chairman, North-East One, Reverend Isa Uba, and Gombe DCC Chairman, Rev Dr Adamu Dauda, also expressed their condolences and reminded the Christian community to view the incident as part of the challenges faced by believers. They emphasised that such tragedies were a reminder of the need to trust in God’s plan.
The CAN chairman reassured the community that the state government shared in their grief and was committed to ensuring the arrest of the perpetrators. The DCC Chairman expressed gratitude for the prompt response of the government and security agencies following the tragic incident.
