About 20 persons have been reported killed and 300
cows stolen, following a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence
on the Mambilla Plateau in Sardauna Local Government
Area of Taraba State, yesterday.
A fleeing resident, Saadu Mogoggo, who said his house
was attacked at Leme suburb of Gembu, said two of his
brothers were killed on Saturday evening and their cattle
rustled by a group he identified as the Mambilla Militia.
His words: “As I speak with you, we are yet to bury their
corpses.
The ethnic militias attacked our residence in
Leme, where they killed our father last month. During this
attack, the Mambillas took away over 100 cows.
“My two younger brothers reported the matter to a nearby
military base and a soldier was attached as escort to
retrieve the stolen cows. Unfortunately, in the process,
my younger brothers were both killed while the soldier fled
with injury.”
Abdu Gagarau, another resident of the area, who said he
was speaking from hiding, said: “The burning and killing
by herdsmen continued till early this morning (yesterday).
“Since last Thursday they have been attacking our
settlements and over 20 people killed. Some were buried
and over 300 cattle stolen by the militias.
“The Mambila ethnic group is known for attacking other
tribes. They attacked the Panso in 1982, the Fulani in
2002 and in 2017. When eventually we retaliate, the
normal shouts of herdsmen will start. Let government be
proactive and come to our rescue.”
Fulani cry to govt
A Fulani community leader in the area, Mr. Ahmadu
Nguroje, called for government and security intervention.
Mr. Nguroje said: “At least 20 people are feared killed,
looting of houses, shops and burning down to ashes by
the Mambilla militias along Tapare and Yerimaru axis
have been recorded here in Sardauna Local Government
Area of Taraba State.
“About 12 others were also injured and are on admission
at a hospital in Gembu.”
The lawmaker representing Nguroje and Gembu
constituency in the state House of Assembly, Bashir
Muhammad, confirmed the latest disturbances.
He said: “There have been violent and systematic killings
of Fulani nomadic herdsmen in the remote areas in
Mambilla Plateau.
“It is unfortunate that while efforts are being made to
restore peace, the killings continued unabated with many
people feared killed between Thursday and Sunday
(yesterday), just as dozens of livestock were killed or
injured. I was even told that over 200 cows were rustled.
“Security is grossly in adequate because some of the
affected villages are in hinterlands that can take one or
two hours to access. We want more security personnel,
particularly soldiers, to ensure peace.”
Governor speaks
Reacting, Governor Darius Ishaku, who spoke through his
Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Emmanuel
Bello, called for an end to the violence.
His words:
“Anyone who takes any life, irrespective of
religion or tribe, is a criminal; whether it is on the
summits of Mambilla or the plains of Southern Taraba
and anywhere in this state. And we shall deal with them
as criminals.
“We are committed to an amicable resolution of the crisis
in the state and peaceful co-existence of all ethnic
nationalities,” attributing the renewed crisis to
“disagreement between two ethnic groups.”
Police story
The Police spokesperson in the state, David Misal, told
newsmen that four people were confirmed killed from
both sides of the ethnic groups, adding that security
officials had been dispatched to the area to restore peace,
but that no arrest had been made.
Investigations revealed that the crisis started on Thursday
over a land dispute between nomadic Fulani and
Mambilla in Yerimaru village, which spread into
neighbouring villages.
No comments:
Post a Comment