Photo credit: Premium Times (Gombe bomb blast in 2014)
It is believed that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow and eventually the hope of every society. I can say that doesn’t work in all cases as the country better remain “stand still” than wait for war mongers to rule her affairs.
They call themselves “Yan Kalare” meaning Kalare boys, I wish I could explain to you what the word kalare itself stands for because I myself doesn’t know. They are the area boys of Gombe state mostly found within the capital of the state in areas like Nasarawo, Jeka dafari, Bolari, BCJA, Yarangurza and many more. They are categorized into groups based on the area they are and the place they meet also called “Majalisa”.
I don’t think there is any articulation that can actually describe how bad this boys are, but I will get you close to the picture using a testimony from one of their victims Salisu (not real name) as he narrates as follows…
he stayed in a compound that is full of boys and we have different kinds of gadgets such as phones, laptops e.t.c they have been leaving peacefully until one night in November 2014, Salisu and his roommate Adamu (not real name) slept in their bedroom with the light on but the light of the living room was dark and empty. Around 1:30am he said he heard a sound at their main door (close to the gate of the house) immediately before he could raise an alarm they had already broken down their door with a single smash, all he could see next was tall and dark men coming into the bed room where they were sleeping with cut lasses as if they will cut them into pieces. Since he is from Maiduguri, he thought they are Boko Haram as it is their usual mode of attack in Maiduguri, so he started shouting, they just rushed him and started cutting him with their knives and cut lasses and he manage to escape with ordinary boxers short, with blood all over his body, before they could get to Adamu, he ran into the toilet in the bed room and lock the door. They entered and packed our properties and ran away. At the same time Salisu who is covered in blood ran to the neighbors but no one could rescue him as everyone is afraid because they know what the boys (kalare) are capable of.
Also because of the recent book haram suicide bombings, most mosques in Gombe usually block roads leading to any mosques until after prayers but those boys manage to hack a young boy to his death with their poisonous cutlasses just because he asked them to wait till after prayers before they could pass or if possible they should follow another route if they can’t wait which was the reason for their anger.
This is one in a million of what Gombe people faces on daily bases with this boys, when they are fighting with themselves, you dear not intervene, there is what they call “shara” meaning sweep in Hausa language, whenever they are angry with the boys of your area and they come to the area, they will start killing, cutting and smashing anything they find within the area. It gets me wondering where are the Governments? Some say, it was Senator Danjuma Goje (former governor of Gombe, now a chairman on committee on appropriation in the Nigerian Senate) that gave them enabling environment to thrive during his stewardship (1999-2007), although the state government is trying its best by forming an anti-kalre security patrol manned by soldires and police men to totally curb this but really finding it difficult and it is part of their faults because some of the politicians fund and give them all kind of ammunitions during their respective campaigns to intimidate their opponents.
Please Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwanbo (Talban Gombe), intervene and totally clear this plaque called Kalare boys from the state as your people have suffered so much from their scourge.
