At least 73 persons
have been killed and 50 villages burnt following a renewed violence between the
Hausa-Fulani and Yandang communities in Lau local government area of Taraba
state.
Sahabi
Mahmoud, state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria
(MACBAN), told journalists on Friday that the hostilities, which started on
July 5, has claimed the lives of more than 23 of his members.
He
said over 3,000 displaced Hausa-Fulani, mainly women and children, who fled the
area, are currently taking refuge at the Muslim Council Secretariat in Jalingo
and other neighbouring local government areas.
Mahmoud
lamented that it was “unfortunate” that since the displaced persons arrived the
Muslim Council in Jalingo, no government official had visited the camp or
provided any relief material to the victims.
On
his part, Aaron Artimas, an elder of the Yandang community, said more than 50
persons from the side of the Yandang and other tribes in area were confirmed
dead as a result of the conflicts.
Artimas
said the Hausa-Fulanis, Yandang, Mumuye and Yoti, among other tribes, had lived
in the area as brothers and sisters without problems for centuries.
He
blamed the recent recurring conflicts on incitement from people outside the
area who wanted to remain relevant politically.
“Some
militia from neighbouring Adamawa State have infiltrated into Babagasa, a
border village between Taraba and Adamawa, and have been wreaking havoc on all
the surrounding villages in Lau local government in Taraba,” he said.
“Villages
such as Tikule, Bariki, Santuraki, Budong, Mbonding and Panti-Ladda, among
others, were burnt by the militia.
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