Soldier, 24 Others Killed In Taraba Farmers-Herders Crisis…

A soldier and 24 other residents of Ussa and Takum local government areas of Taraba States are said to have been killed so far in the unending feud between Kuteb farmers and herders in the state.

This is according to the Police Public Relations Officer in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman.

He said the military officer was ambushed and killed while the other 24 persons are either Kuteb or Fulani extractions.

He insisted that at the moment, the major problem halting the return of peace is the claim by the Fulani herdsmen that their cattle are held hostage by the Kuteb farmers and the denial from the other end.

“The commissioner of police has called on the leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Ussa and the claimants to discuss, agree and go to where they alleged that their cattle are held hostage for fact-finding as well as the release of same for peace to reign,” the police spokesman added.

All attempts to speak to the state chairman of MACBAN proved abortive.

However, the President of the Kuteb Yatgso Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Ukwen – an umbrella body of the Kuteb-speaking tribe in the country – revealed that peace was brokered between them late last year in which a 14-point resolution was reached and signed.

Ukwen alleged that the state government failed to provide the needed funds to implement the agreements reached which gave rise to enemies of progress to renew the attacks.

He said as the leader of his people, he has not seen the state government either visit his people or sympathize with them or provided the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and relief materials, a situation the state government denied saying it provided the shelter they are staying as well as relief materials in quantum.