Taraba Tivs urge Fulani to sheathe the sword

WORRIED by the on-going feud between the Tiv and Fulani communities in Takum Local Council Area of Taraba State, the leadership of Tiv Cultural and Social Association (TCSA) scattered in the nooks and crannies of the state, have urged the Fulani community to sheathe sword to allow the state government fish out perpetrators of the crisis.

They said if not stopped, the clashes, which have claimed lives and property, would continue to hinder the much-needed growth and development of the communities and the state at large.

In a statement, President of the state chapter of TCSA, Mr. Philip Ihom, said: “We call on the Fulani to rather join hands with the Tiv communities and the state government to fish out the criminals to enable all live in peace”.

The Tiv, Ihom stated, have been working hand in hand with the state government to ensure the immediate return of sanity to the area, adding: “It is in this regard that the state government and our association have been working hard to prevail on all communities to avoid further bloodshed”.

The release further revealed that the on-going clashes in the area were ignited by the “breakdown of law and order in the country”, which Ihom observed, made it possible for the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the communities.

“Following the breakdown of law and order across the country, many criminals have had access to free flow of arms and ammunition, which some people have been using at will”, he said.

The “dispersal’ of some of the criminals from other places, the Tiv leaders believe, “led some of them to seek refuge in some parts of the state, thereby increasing criminal activities in Takum Local Council Area.

Stressing that “there is no war between the Tiv and the Fulani in Takum Local Council of Taraba State”, Ihom averred that some Fulani miscreants who may have misplaced the cows put in their care by some wealthy individuals, want to use the crisis to escape prosecution by their bosses.

“It is interesting to note that even though a good percentage of the Fulani bandits have been recruited from outside the state, a reasonable number consists of some Fulani youths who had had some shady deals with some of the Tiv criminals and have been unfaithful to the real cattle owners and, therefore, have seized this opportunity to further hide their shady deals”, added.

He lamented that in spite of the “swift action of the government”, the “Fulani, along with their bandits”, still went ahead and “launched attacks on some Tiv villages, thereby burning and sacking villages such as Demevaa, New Gboko and others”.

The Guardian gathered that the state governor, Danbaba Suntai, has since directed that security be beefed up with soldiers and mobile policemen drafted to the area to maintain peace and order.