Family feuds claim 2 victims in Basilan

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two people died in separate bloody incidents traced to unsettled family feuds in the towns of Al Barka and Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, said Brigadier General Alvin Luzon, commander of the 101st Army Brigade.

Around 1:30 p.m. in Sitio Bohe-Lunang, Barangay Kailih of Al Barka, resident Sonny Abdulgani, 33, heard a gunfire from the direction of Sitio Patago in the nearby Barangay Guinanta. He went out of the house to verify, but as he did so, he was suddenly shot by unidentified armed men. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body that caused his instantaneous death, Luzon said, citing a report from the Al Barka police.

Police described Barangay Kailih as a far-flung area, around 10 kilometers from the Al Barka municipal police station, so it took a while for the police to arrive at the crime scene.

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Abdulgani’s family immediately recovered the body from the crime scene and buried him following Islamic rites. According to Luzon, the family refused to have the rites documented and even refused to have pictures of the body taken.

Around 1:40 p.m. also on Wednesday, a firefight ensued between the two warring families, namely the Muslimin and Barahim families in Barangay Bohe Baca, Tipo-Tipo town of Basilan, resulting in the death of Kambal Taha, a follower of the Muslimin clan.

Luzon said they could not confirm whether there was any casualty from the Barahim family but he said he immediately deployed personnel of the 45th Infantry Battalion, to quell the tension in the area.

“Security forces in these two towns are on alert to ensure no further retaliatory incidents will take place, following the reported casualties,” he said. “The police are also conducting an in-depth investigation to determine the motive in the killing of Abdulgani as well as to identify the suspects,” he added.