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CV NEWS FEED // A devastating incident during Easter Monday celebrations has left five young Christians dead and more than 30 injured, prompting an outcry from a Nigerian watchdog group who accuses authorities of misrepresenting the tragedy.
Save the Persecuted Christians shared a press release issued by the Gombe South Emancipation Forum (GSEF) titled “Separating Facts from Fiction: What Really Happened in Billiri on Monday 21/04/2025.”
In it, GSEF leaders claim that “a lot of lies, misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation” have clouded the public’s understanding of the event.
“We live in an era of information war,” the statement signed by Lead Voice Andele Tadi, Research Secretary David Yohanna and Publicity Secretary Umar Ahmed reads. “We therefore want to set the record straight, for if we don’t tell the world what actually happened people may believe the lies and the misinformation.”
According to GSEF’s investigation, a large group of Christians had gathered early Monday morning, as they had for nearly three decades, to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection by singing and dancing down the Billiri-Kaltungo road.
The tragedy unfolded around 6:30 a.m. when an 18-wheeler truck loaded with grain approached the tail end of the crowd near the “Tashan Gona” junction. Though initially warned to slow down, witnesses report the driver accelerated into the worshipers without honking his horn.
“He was moving at around 10-15 kilometres per hour. But as soon as he saw the crowd ahead of him, he increased his speed and ran into the group from behind them without ever honking his horn,” GSEF reports. “He mowed several people killing five, and injuring several others.”
Video footage of the incident allegedly shows the truck driver failing to decelerate or swerve, according to GSEF. However, as soon as the driver ran over several people, he immediately came to a halt.
GSEF pointed out that it seemed very unlikely that a large, loaded truck would immediately halt merely from the force of the impact of hitting people.
They also challenged the account of Gombe State Police Command, who claimed that brake failure caused the accident and that the truck had veered off the road.
“Isn’t it a mystery that this break did not fail at any of the several very steep slopes along Yola-Gombe road but waited until it reached Billiri town, right behind Christian faithfuls who are exercising their constitutional right to assembly, and at an area that is not very slop[e]y, before it finally fails?” the release asks.
The GSEF also disputes the police’s assertion that Muslim residents were among the injured.
“We have a comprehensive list of all the people who were hurt at the scene and none of these people is a Muslim,” GSEF states. “We therefore demand that the police provide us with names and pictures of those Muslims who were injured.”
Further, the group points out inconsistencies in reported casualties. While police claimed only eight individuals were hospitalized, GSEF reports visiting 20 victims across multiple hospitals.
Beyond questioning the handling of the truck driver, GSEF highlights systemic failures in emergency response. At the General Hospital Billiri, they found no emergency supplies or medications available.
“The fact that there were no emergency items and medication including syringes and tetanus vaccines says a lot about the dilapidated nature of the facility,” the statement says, criticizing the Gombe State Government’s neglect of healthcare infrastructure.
In the aftermath, young Christians who witnessed the crash set the truck ablaze and marched to the police station to demand justice. When police saw the crowd approaching, they started using tear gas, and the young people responded by throwing stones. Police arrested eight protestors.
The group also connects the Billiri incident to a troubling pattern of attacks on Christian gatherings; in 2019, a civil defense officer drove his car into a boys brigade celebrating Easter, and in 2024, a truck driver rammed his truck into a Christmas celebration.
“Christians have only two days (not 52), in the entire year when they use the road (not blocking it) for religious purposes, but yet they’re the ones being murdered,” the GSEF asserts, questioning whether these are isolated incidents or signs of a deeper problem.
Amid the pain and frustration, GSEF calls on the Tangale people and the broader Christian community to remain calm and courageous.
“But we should not be foolish,” they advise. “Connecting the dots is very crucial here.”
Finally, GSEF demands the immediate and unconditional release of the eight youths detained during protests and calls on the government to pursue justice transparently.
“May God continue to protect us, fill us with his peace, and give us courage in the face of adversity,” the statement concludes.
