Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 123
(b) Every effort be made to bring justice to those persons responsible for the death of Dan
Wanzami.
The report continues by pointing out:
…that the hamlet heads of Johode no longer retain the confidence of their villagers, and it is
therefore recommended that they be dismissed by the Dikwa Native Authority and that the
villagers be given the opportunity to submit names of new hamlet heads of their own choosing for
official confirmation.
Concerning the continuation of the resettlement scheme, the report reemphasises:
…that in spite of the disturbances at Johode the fifteen original settlers have remained unmoved
and have been joined by seven more volunteers. This recruitment is considerably less than the 35
that had originally been hoped for…, but it is not felt that it need be the cause for undue
despondency. The main cause for the set-back would appear to lie in the fact that the basic
purposes of the Scheme have not yet been fully understood by the Pagans. It is therefore
recommended that rather than attempt the pace of recruitment, the immediate policy should be a
campaign by the District Head and Touring Officer to give detailed explanations of these basic
purposes. Instances have already been given of the extremely conservative outlook of the
Azaghavana Clan, and unless the co-operation of the Pagans is first obtained, free and peaceful
progress is unlikely to result.
Before we assess the British intervention in Ghwa’a, we will give an oral account of the
events leading up to 10th October, and the circumstances of the killing of lawan Buba as
witnessed by wahili Taɗa Nzige. It appears that Taɗa Nzige was one of the hamlet heads
accused, in the report by district officer McClintock, of misrepresenting the people of
Ghwa’a. Taɗa Nzige’s account is possibly not correct in all areas, but is quite explicit on the
methods used by the representatives of the district head of Gwoza when 'recruiting' volunteers
for the resettlement scheme. The account alleges brutal beatings of the new 'recruits' in
Gwoza town, which throws light on the nature of the methods used at the time, and are in
quite sharp contrast to what is said in McClintock’s report. We will retell Taɗa Nzige’s
account by concentrating mainly on those methods, followed by his memoir of what took
place on the day when Lawan Buba was killed.
Taɗa Nzige's oral account of the 'Gwoza Affair'
According to Taɗa Nzige, the shehu of Bama advised the district head of Gwoza that people
from the hills should be resettled in the plains for easier administration. Following this advice
the bulamas from the hills were ordered to Gwoza, from where they proceeded to Bama. In
Bama they were addressed by the shehu (meaning most likely a representative of the shehu).
They were told that the people of the Gwoza hills should be resettled at 'Gwalaga' (near
Limankara). They were asked twice whether they would agree to this, which they did through
fear, so Taɗa Nzige said. Now each of them was given 60 Naira, with exception of three
people who refused the money. According to Taɗa Nzige, he himself was one of the three.
The bulamas from Dghweɗe, who had been taken to Bama, were seven altogether, of whom
two were from Kunde, two from Korana Basa, and three from Ghwa’a. Next they all came
back to Gwoza and Taɗa Nzige continues as follows:
When we came back to Gwoza we had to sit down again. Every bulama was now asked to present
a candidate for moving down to Gwalaga. Each of us mentioned one and those who refused were
given lashes. It was Laɓula Barde [most likely an employee of the district head of Gwoza] who
carried out the beatings. Two were unable to control their bowels and shovels were brought in and
they had to remove their faeces. Among the names given was Pakuɗa Gadanga from Dzga but
because he was brewing much beer for har ghwe [a religious sacrifice to the deceased father of a
man] he was taken off the list and Kvawa Gaghuda of Dzga was listed instead. Lawa Vike
Gadagwaya, the bulama of Kunde, was given lashes because he was too slow in coming up with a
name. He too lost control of his bowels as a result of the beating. He then named Ndakue Gakura
which caused an argument between the bulamas and bulama Hawa of Korana Basa said: ‘Why do
you give a name of a close relative, can’t you see that the other bulamas don’t do that?’ The name
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