By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Hamile (UW/R), Nov. 08, GNA – The chiefs and the youth of Hamile in the Lambussie District have assured the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), of their commitment to restoring and maintaining peaceful co-existence between civilians and security personnel in the area.
The assurance followed an explosion incident at Hamile on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, which claimed three lives and led to disturbances that resulted in the imposition of an 11-hour curfew on the community and closure of the Hamile border.
The curfew, which initially ran from 1800 hours to 0500 hours, had however been reviewed to 2200 hours to 0400 hours.
They gave their assurances at Hamile at the weekend during a meeting with the CGI, who visited the community to engage the leadership and youth on the security situation in the area.
The community leaders acknowledged the dire impact of the imposed security measures on their social and economic lives and appealed for the easing of those measures.
Addressing the meeting, Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, commended the traditional authorities, the youth and other leaders of the community for their cooperation and commitment towards restoring calm.
He assured the people of engaging the Minister of the Interior on the possible lifting of the curfew following the assurances by the community.
The CGI urged the residents to “smoke the peace pipe,” stressing that sustained peace was essential to reviving the economic activities in the area, as the fortunes of the Hamile depended largely on cross-border trade.
Mr Amadu appealed, particularly, to the youth to channel their grievances through opinion leaders and established security structures in the community, rather than resorting to confrontation with security personnel.
Hiller Dyaka Thomas Badukun III, the Chief of Happa, who oversees the Hamile community, said the incident had provided an opportunity for the residents and security personnel to reflect on their conduct and work towards preventing further similar incidents.
He expressed hope that the CGI would consider their appeals, particularly the request for the lifting of the curfew, which had brought businesses and other economic activities to a standstill.
Hiller Badukun expressed optimism that the engagement would improve relations between the residents and security personnel and help restore the peace that existed in the community before the incident.
Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, the Chairman of the Happa-Hamile Development Committee, appealed to the authorities to facilitate the movement of vehicles across the border, to ease the congestion in the town as a result of the border closure.
He explained that the people of Hamile depended significantly on cross-border activities for their livelihoods and that the disruption of such activities had placed considerable pressure on households and businesses.
Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, a representative of the youth, while regretting the incident, stressed that peace had been restored in the community and that the residents were ready to co-operate with the security agencies to ensure lasting calm.
He appealed to the government, particularly the Ministry of the Interior, to consider lifting the curfew imposed on the town to help restore the economic and social lives of the community.
Mr Ibrahim, however, urged the personnel of the GIS to exercise restraint when dealing with civilians, as some officers became easily irritated during engagements with civilians.
The CGI also visited and commiserated with the family of the deceased civilians, as well as visited the Mountain Back two unapproved rout, where the explosion occurred.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
[email protected]