At least 73 persons are feared killed and about 50 villages burnt in renewed violence between the Hausa-Fulani and Yandang communities in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Sahabi Mahmoud, told journalists in Jalingo yesterday that the hostilities, which started on July 5, have claimed the lives of more than 23 of his members.
He said that over 3,000 displaced Hausa-Fulanis, 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 โunfortunateโ that since the displaced persons arrived the Muslim Council Secretariat in Jalingo, no government official has visited the camp or provided any relief material to the victims.
An elder of the Yandang community, Mr. Aaron Artimas, said more than 50 persons from the side of the Yandang and other ethnic groups in area are feared dead as a result of the conflicts.
Artimas noted that the Hausa-Fulanis, Yandang, Mumuye , Yoti and others 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.
He said: โSome 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.
โVillages such as Tikule, Bariki, Santuraki, Budong, Mbonding and Panti-Ladda, among others, were burnt by the militia.
โOver 2,000 displaced persons from the affected villages are currently taking refuge at the Central Primary School, Jalingo.
โSome are in other villages like Sunkani, Apawa, Zing and Bali all in Taraba, while several others fled to Gorobi, Sabon-Gida, Bujum and Mayo-Belwa in Adamawa State.
