No fewer than 35 persons were reportedly killed yesterday with properties worth millions of naira burnt in an attack between Tivs and Fulanis at Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State. The affected communities include: Ikyo, Catholic Church Agwaza, Kokonbo, Azer, Lijam, Akesa, Tyow Doshima, Tse Saka and Kwaghlando districts respectively.
An eyes witness said, armed men identified to be Fulani herdsmen, numbering over 70, invaded eight communities/villages and other surrounding areas at about 2p.m. and engaged in shooting and burning of houses. Over 35 persons were killed by the gun men in different villages, while others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The said Fulani herdsmen came from Benue State as a result of the crisis between the Tivs and Fulanis in that state. the witness said
“The gunmen fled the trouble zone in Benue and entered our villages on a revenge mission and ordered the Tivs to leave Takum and go back to Benue State since they (Tivs) sacked them from Benue State,” he said.
Following the ugly incident, the acting governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, yesterday donated relief materials to the over 5,000 Internally Displaced Person taking refuge in different locations in Takum.
The state acting governor, who donated the relief materials through the state Executive Secretary, Taraba State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Mr Nuvalga Dan Abuh, expressed sadness over the way suspected gunmen terrorise innocent people in the area, and appealed to the refugees not to avenge the wrong done to them.
According to him, the state government will deploy more security personnel to the affected areas to safeguard life and property.
He therefore appealed to the refugees to be patient and promised that they would be assisted in the best ways possible by the state government just as he urged them to take the current situation as an act of God and forgive their enemies.
The council chairman of Takum Local Government, Mr. Tanko Usman Tamtti in his remarks, commended the state government for the gesture rendered to the displaced persons in his area, assuring that the items donated would be utilised for the purpose for which they were intended.
Meanwhile, residents of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, are now living in fear with the information that the Tivs are set for a reprisal attack against Fulani herdsmen. But in a swift response, the Benue State police command has advised the people of the state to disregard the rumour and go about their lawful businesses without any fear.
Police spokesman in the state, SP Daniel Ezeala, who gave the advice yesterday, noted that there was no such thing.
Ezeala, who stressed that schools and markets would open without any trouble, stated that more policemen led by the DIG (Operations), Mike Zuokomor, have been deployed to the state to ensure safety of life and property.
There are speculations that Foreign fighters linked with Boko Haram may have infiltrated the rank of Fulani herdsmen blamed for spate of deadly attacks in Benue, Katsina,Taraba, Kaduna and other parts of the northern region, feelers from security agencies have revealed .
Recent attacks allegedly by Fulani herdsmen had claimed close to 500 lives with attackers reported to be using AK47 and other sophisticated weapons. The attackers are reported to be displaying such professionalism security analysts said was not compatible with herdsmen fighting over grazing lands.
Recent attacks allegedly by Fulani herdsmen had claimed close to 500 lives with attackers reported to be using AK47 and other sophisticated weapons. The attackers are reported to be displaying such professionalism security analysts said was not compatible with herdsmen fighting over grazing lands.
Feelers from security establishments indicated that analysis of the various attacks, the weapons deployed and the manner of operations showed that the herdsmen are receiving external support, the nature of which the security agencies are still investigating.
The puzzle was reported to have deepened when the organisation of Fulani herdsmen openly and repeatedly denied their involvement in the recent multiple killings. A security source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the ongoing investigations said “ our analysis points in the direction of external infiltration.”
“ The weapons used and the professionalism displayed showed that they are trained fighters. We are still reviewing evidence but our preliminary conclusions is that a link is emerging between the insurgency in the North-East and unexplained killings in the North- West,” the official said.
It was learnt that the mode of operation of the alleged Fulani herdsmen was similar to the insurgents’ tactics in the North-East especially as the attackers normally retreated to reserve forests linking the North-East and North-West along the border with Niger and Chad Republics.
This was said to be similar to the Boko Haram mode of operation who used the reserve forest as a base to attack villages around Maiduguri and other parts of the North-East.
Meanwhile, The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has called for a new approach to end the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in some parts of the North.
Chairman of the forum and governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, made the call in Minna on Sunday while reacting to the killing of about 100 persons in Unguwar Sankwai, Unguwar Gata and Chenshyi villages of Kaura Local Government Area in the southern part of Kaduna State by suspected herdsmen.
The forum’s reaction was contained in a statement signed by Governor Aliyu’s spokesman, Danladi Ndayebo.
The forum called on the Federal Government to consider a national policy to settle nomads and provide adequate grazing reserves and cattle routes, arguing that grazing reserves have proved to be a self sustaining solution for pastoralists across many developed and underdeveloped countries of the world.
“It is the considered opinion of the forum that a national policy be put in place to settle nomads and provide adequate reserves and cattle routes. The advantages of doing so include reintegrating herdsmen into the mainstream society and reducing or even eliminating herdsmen/farmers conflicts,” the statement said.
The forum recalled that in pre-colonial times, the influx of Fulani pastoralists into various parts of Northern Nigeria in the 19th century led to establishment of grazing areas known as Hurumis (communal grazing areas) which were preserved around townships and large villages and protected by Emirate Councils.
The forum further urged the Federal Government to adopt the comprehensive pastoral resource development programme of the defunct Northern Nigeria which established facilities like marketing channels, watering points, veterinary posts and grazing reserves in major pastoral areas of the region.
It lamented that only 36 out of the nation’s 415 grazing reserves had been gazetted and urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to set aside dedicated areas of land for pastoral use.
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