Lagos — As dust settles in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, after the religious eruptions caused by Muslim youths, the government has confirmed four persons dead and unspecified number of others with various degrees of injuries.

Although, the police have declined comments over the casualty figures, Gombe State police command spokesman, Mr. K. Bangs, however, confirmed that six policemen were injured during the disturbances. No member of the Police Operation Team that quelled the crisis was affected.

Those injured were either going to work or were officers in mufti who were identified by the rioters and subsequently attacked. Thirty persons have so far been arrested in connection with the disturbances, he said, adding that investigations continue.

Two churches, Calvary Baptist and the Bishara Baptist were both desecrated and vandalised by the fanatics who invaded the churches in their hundreds.

According to the Pastor in charge of the Bishara Baptist Church, Reverend Solomon Hussani Kalshingi, the church was broken into and various property including those brought by some church members for safe-keeping were stolen. Other items carted away included wall clocks, eight loud speakers and two amplifiers, an electricity meter, while 15 pews were taken outside and set ablaze. Reverend Kalshingi, who is the Gombe local government chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also confirmed the vandalisation of the Calvary Baptist Church, situated near the Bishara Baptist Church.

Already, Governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu has set up a 5-man committee headed by Head of Service of the State, Dr. Ibrahim Jalo Daudu to ascertain the number of deaths and how these deaths occurred. The committee is to also ascertain the number of victims and extent of damage. It is also to visit and condole with families that have been bereaved and to sympathise with those who lost their property. The committee has already swung into action having been mandated to submit its report in one week.

It could be recalled that last Saturday, thousands of Muslim Youths took to the streets of Gombe, protesting the visit to the state by the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria. He was in Gombe to hold talks on economic matters with the state government and to inaugurate the Shalom Club, an association of Christian Pilgrims who had at one time or the other visited Israel on pilgrimage.

However, many prominent people in government linked the riots to frustration by various Muslim groups over the delay in the implementation of the Sharia law.

This will be the second time in two years that such eruptions will be witnessed, the first place in the Christian-dominated town of Bambam where people violently protested the planned introduction of Sharia in their area. Hundreds of lives were lost and several prominent citizens of the area were alleged to have sponsored the agitation that led to the crisis.

The situation has since returned to normal with all government offices opened and businesses flourishing as usual. The police have however continued to keep watch over strategic areas of the state capital, while victims continued to count their losses.