President Muhammadu Buhari has said the perpetrators of the killings and destruction on the Mambilla Plateau and other places would be arrested and prosecuted.
Justice will be done, the president said in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital at the commencement of his visit to troubled spots in five states.
The visit will take the president to Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers States where scores of people were killed in communal violence in recent times.
The president stated this during a stakeholders meeting between the Fulani and Mambilla ethnic groups at the Government House Jalingo.
Buhari said the number of people killed on the Mambilla Plateau, Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba was more than those killed in Zamfara and Benue states combined.
He said he was in the state to condole with the government and those who lost their loved ones. He described the attacks leading to wanton destruction of lives and property as unfortunate.He explained that relationship between members of a community should not be left to government alone but should also be the duty of the traditional institutions to ensure peaceful coexistence among their people.
In his speech, Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku said the administration would do everything possible to ensure that peace was maintained in the state.
He also assured the president that the traditional institutions and leaders of Sardauna Local Government would be mobilized to work together to speed up the take-off of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in the area.
President Buhari was accompanied by Service Chiefs, Ministers of Information, Defence and Women Affairs as well as some members of the National Assembly from the state.
More towns in Mambilla under attack
Meanwhile, reports from Taraba said more towns on Mambilla were attacked by suspected Mambilla militia.
Daily Trust gathered that Maisamari, Yelwa, Tunga and Kassa Sa villages were attacked on Sunday and several persons killed.
Our reporter who was in the area saw several houses and vehicles burning.
The injured were taken to General Hospital Gembu while police and relatives of those killed are searching for dead bodies.
The road leading to Jalingo from the area was also blocked for several hours by the attackers until around 3pm when a team of soldiers and police cleared the roads.
At Kassa Sa village located few kilometres from Kakara Tea company which was attacked by Suspected Mambilla militia, four people were killed and about 20 others still missing.
A leader of the village, Mallam Aliyu Mohammed, told our reporter that the attacks was unprovoked as there was no dispute with those that attacked their community.
He said one vehicle, two motorcycles and other properties worth millions of naira were burnt by the attackers.
Our reporter also saw additional police and soldiers arriving the area at about 5pm while the atmosphere was tense in the entire Mambilla plateau even as hundreds of people have fled the area.
The Fulani community in the area alleged that attacks being launched by Mambilla militia against them was supported by some key politicians and elite.
‘No one prosecuted yet’
A prominent member of Fulani community in Mambilla plateau, Ardo Yakubu, alleged that the militia were supported and protected because up till now no single person was arrested and prosecuted for the atrocities they committed.
They appealed to the federal and Taraba state governments to urgently deploy more security to protect lives and property in the area.
One of the Fulani leaders, Alhaji Bello Shadari, made the appeal during an interview with Daily Trust in Gembu adding that there were many Fulani communities being attacked across the area on daily basis.
He said most areas were inaccessible by security due to difficult terrain and the attackers were taking this advantage.
Shadari said within the last five days about 30 Fulani communities around Kakara, Leme and Yarimaru were attacked.
He said in one community about 20 persons were missing following Mambilla militia attack, adding that the missing persons were still being searched for.
The community leader blamed the continued attacks on the community on the failure of relevant authorities to arrest perpetrators and prosecute them.
He said the crisis in Yelwa and Maisamari on Sunday was as a result of killing of three elderly Fulani by Mambilla.
The community leader commended the effort of both army and the police and other security agents for working toward restoring peace and called for posting of security agents into the hinterland to prevent attacks on innocent persons.
The police spokesperson, ASP David Misal, when contacted on telephone said he will not say anything on the issue, adding that “we are in the field waiting for the arrival of Mr President. I can’t comment on this issue now.”
Refugees commission donates 406 cows, other items to victims
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has distributed 406 cows and assorted relief materials worth millions of Naira to victims of June 2017 Mambilla attacks.
Presenting the relief materials to the victims in Gembu, headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area yesterday, the Refugees Commissioner, Hajiya Sadiya Umar, said the commission was worried over the plight of the displaced persons and the items provided was intended to reduce their sufferings.
Represented by director of procurement in the commission, Alhaji Jibril Wada, the commissioner said before coming to Taraba, the commission, in continuation of its 2017 intervention flagged off the 2018 exercise in Kebbi, FCT, Nassarawa, Edo, Benue and Bauchi State.
She observed that the commission took cognizance of the disturbing humanitarian crisis that erupted on the Mambilla plateau with available statistics indicating that about 351 persons were killed, 381 people went missing, and over 20,000 cows killed or stolen.
Hajiya Sadiya stated further that it was also disturbing to note that about 483 houses or settlements were razed down during the attacks.
The commissioner also disclosed that the cows donated was aimed at restocking the herds of the victims, adding that the commission also donated 308 sprayer kits, 308 cartons of pesticides, 308 cartons of Herbicides and 400 units of Grinding Machines mainly for widows.
She stated that the commission had also donated hygiene and care material for women and children as well as assorted drugs for maternity and dispensaries in the affected areas.
She appealed for peace and assured that the commission would continue to support the vulnerable people and ensure they return to their homes to continue with their normal lives.
The Wakilin Fulani Alhaji Saidu Bawa, in an address on behalf of the beneficiaries, appealed to the commission to reconstruct destroyed homes and rehabilitate nomadic schools destroyed during the attacks.
He also appealed for assistance to those who became widows and orphans as a result of the June 2017 attacks and facilitation of the return of victims who were still taking refuge in neighbouring Republic of Cameroon
Latest report said more Fulani villages and settlements were attacked last night in the area by suspected Mambilla militia men leading to killings and destruction of houses.
DailyTrust
