From Umar Dankano, Yola
The Maya community in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State has condemned alleged harassment and intimidation of its people by Bille youths over disputed villages said to have been excised and gazetted out of their domain.
Chairman of the Maya Youths Progressive Association (MAYOPA), Mr. Gagdiwana Joel, made the condemnation at a press conference in Yola yesterday, alleging that the recent violent incursion into some Maya communities by Bille youths called for urgent intervention by constituted authorities.
Joel expressed concern that the creation of the new Tagombali District in Demsa had triggered unrest in several Maya settlements, including Kwaba, Guri/Wurobokki, Kwaba Waka, Tashan Gurgu, and Dingle Kasa, as well as some communities in Dong District.
He warned that the actions of the Bille youths, if left unchecked, could escalate into a “declaration of war,” undermining the peace fostered by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in resolving long-standing boundary disputes between the two communities.
According to Joel, the press conference was convened to draw government’s attention to the matter, lamenting that security agencies appeared complicit or had underestimated the gravity of the situation.
“We wish to inform our security agencies that, by neglecting to make arrests and prosecute those threatening our peaceful coexistence, they have tacitly signaled that they can no longer guarantee our security,” he said. “If known individuals are allowed to organise themselves, heavily armed, invade our communities, harass residents, perform rituals, and establish boundaries—a function reserved only for government—then our safety is in jeopardy.”
Joel described the August 4, 2025 invasion of Dingle Kasa, Kwaba, Kwaba Waka, and Tashan Gurgu as a “criminal act” by organised Bille youths allegedly enforcing a government gazette. He claimed the display of sophisticated weapons, live animals, and ritual symbols amounted to a “declaration of war.”
He further alleged that although the Bille community based its claim on a 1992 gazette creating districts, the affected villages had been “dubiously removed” from the original 1991 list of 35 villages submitted in a memorandum to the state governor seeking the creation of Maya District. Joel blamed the removal on then lawmaker Hon. Stephen Abbas, a Bille man, accusing him of transferring the villages to Bille District to aid territorial expansion.
“The Maya community, realizing the flaws in the 1992 gazette, wrote to the State House of Assembly seeking corrections and amendments to the law. We have followed due legal processes and will not concede an inch of our land to desperate expansionists seeking to enlarge their geopolitical landscape,” Joel declared.
MAYOPA therefore demanded a thorough investigation into the incident, calling for the immediate arrest of the President of the Bille Youths Federation, Mr. Wilfred Jonathan, and his alleged collaborators for acts of intimidation, harassment, and threats to public peace.
The association also urged the state government to expedite action on the pending bill creating districts in order to resolve the long-standing dispute once and for all.