Many Feared Dead, Scores Injured In Fresh Tiv/Jukun Clash in Taraba

The death toll in the Tiv, Jukun ethnic clash in Taraba State rose to 10 on Sunday, although quite a number of stakeholders have blamed it on the fact that Africa’s most populous nation with a multitude of religious, ethnic and political fault line that periodically erupt into communal violence.

While some conflicts may appear to be caused by a single factor, such as religion or ethnicity,the reality is usually more complex.

Tensions caused by other factors such as pressure on land or unequal access to social services have added a dynamic dimension to violent conflict in Nigeria.

A statement by  the Information Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency in the state, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said, “The emergency response teams have confirmed that two female PBIED carriers detonated their explosives within five minutes interval at the Muna Dalti settlement.

“As a result, three persons died including the two bombers while close to 41 others sustained varying degrees of injury.”

Ibrahim said the injured were rushed to the General Hospital Maiduguri for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, Mr Daniel Adi, on Sunday confirmed that 10 people were killed and several others injured in the ongoing clash between Jukun and Tiv ethnic groups in the state.

The Jukun and Tiv ethnic groups share common boundary with Benue and Taraba states.

In an interview with journalists in Wukari on Sunday, Adi, who called for calm, said more than nine communities had so far been razed while the villagers from the Kente ward of the affected area had been displaced.

Adi said, “As I am talking to you now, several households, including the Government Day Secondary School, Kente, were burnt down by the attackers in the early hours of today (Sunday).

“I made efforts to contact my counterpart in the Ukum LGA in Benue State to appeal to his people to lay down their arms and embrace peace.”

He disclosed that his council would foot the medical bills of the injured persons currently receiving treatment at the general hospital.

Meanwhile, a former All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant who hailed from the area, Chief David Kente, has condemned the wanton destruction of lives and property.
He described the crisis as unfortunate, adding that the Tiv and Jukun in Kente had co-existed peacefully for many years after their first clash in 1991.

Kente appealed to the warring parties to embrace peace and sheathe their swords, promising that all those who lost their property to the current crisis on both sides of the divide would be assisted.

“This is achievable because after the 1991 clash between the two ethnic groups in Kente area, I single-handedly provided succour to all the affected communities by providing roofing sheets, cement and related building materials for them.

“I also provided boreholes for the affected communities both on the Benue and Taraba sides,” he said.