North East Regional Minister Ibrahim Tia has spoken out about the personal and emotional impact of the recent violence in Walewale, revealing that he lost his brother in the attacks and is still reeling from the trauma.
In an interview with Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Monday, February 17, Tia detailed his efforts to manage the escalating crisis in the region. He shared that he engaged local chiefs and visited the hospital to offer support to the victims of a brutal bus attack, which also involved claims of brutality by security forces.
“I went engaging the chiefs in Walewale. I went to the hospital to visit those who were in the bus that got burnt and others I heard that they were also brutalised by the security forces,” Tia explained. Despite these efforts, the violence continued to escalate.
The minister further explained that he attempted to address the situation by travelling to a neighbouring village to warn the chief about the worsening conditions. “The situation is gradually getting out of hand, and for that matter, there is an imposition of a curfew,” he noted.
During his visit to the palace, Tia was directly attacked by those protesting the curfew. “I was in the palace when there was an attack on the palace because of the imposition of the curfew. I was held hostage until a combined team of the military and the police came and rescued me out of the palace,” he recalled.
Tragically, the chaos resulted in the death of his brother, adding a deeply personal toll to the already traumatic events. “As a result of that, I lost my own brother in Walewale. So I am traumatised,” Minister Tia revealed.
