Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
A mass burial has been conducted for victims of attacks on the Munga Lelau community.
President of Bikwin Community Development Union, Comrade Vincent Sani Dadiya, said the last respect was shown to the victims in Munga Lelau.
According to him not less than thirty people were killed during the attack on the community by marauding militia.
The assaults, reportedly carried out by suspected armed herders in the early hours of Saturday, also resulted in the destruction of homes and properties, compounding fears among residents and casting a shadow over the state’s recent investment drive.
An resident of the area, James Yohanna said that the recent butchery in Munga Lelau, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, where over forty innocent lives were brutally extinguished by suspected herdsmen or bandits, transcends the grim definition of a mere security breach.
“The sheer scale, systematic nature, and devastating impact on a specific community bear the chilling hallmarks of a potential genocidal act, demanding not just condemnation, but an urgent, existential reckoning from every facet of our society.
“This horrific event serves as a stark, indelible stain on our collective conscience, compelling us to confront the uncomfortable truth that our nation stands at a precipice, and only through concerted, comprehensive action can we avert further descent into anarchy and widespread ethnic cleansing.
“The term ‘genocide,’ while weighty, is not employed lightly here. When a significant portion of a community is wiped out, seemingly for no reason other than their identity or location, the question of intent – to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group – inevitably arises.
“The repeated pattern of such massacres across various parts of Nigeria, often targeting specific agrarian communities, necessitates a deeper inquiry beyond the conventional framework of “clashes” or “banditry.”
“We must ask: are we witnessing a deliberate, calculated campaign to dispossess and decimate indigenous populations?
“As a community, the first and most painful step is healing and remembrance. Yet, beyond grief, communities must organize for self-preservation and advocacy.
“This includes establishing robust, localized intelligence networks to share information with security agencies, forming peace committees that bridge divides where possible, and advocating relentlessly for their safety and justice.
“The resilience of our people is legendary, but resilience without protection is vulnerability – he said.
Another resident, Buba Aliyu, said,
“It’s really disheartening to hear another round of Farmers/ headers clashes in Munga Lellau area in Karim Lamido LGA, after the state successfully hosted Taraba International Investment Summit that will culminated into woeing investors both foreign and local to harness the abundance God given resources for the development of our Local government and the state.
“The today’s killing and burning of houses in Munga Lellau is a work of saboteurs who underscored the importance of the just Concluded investment drives.
“Whoever is responsible for this current crises is an enemy of Karim Lamido,Taraba state as well as humanity.
“Karim Lamido Local Government Area is a real destination for investors, particularly in Agriculture and solid minerals,we are already 1000 of kilometres backwards.we thought the coming for the investors will put us on the clear map of prosperity and development.
“This crisis is unnecessary,it’s uncalled for,we don’t need it at this critical stage .We say no to violence and it’s perpetrators.
He condoles the families of those who lost their relatives, belongings and lives.
“We called on the security agencies to launch an investigation and bring the culprit to book.
“The mere meeting with so called stakeholders during crisis period who most often are disconnected with the locals(the villagers),many of whom goes home(villages )only during festivities will never solve problem.
“Peace building requires trusted hands and people with proven integrity.
Nobody listens to political stakeholders any longer.The opinion leaders in the villagers should be the real drivers for any peace talk.
“Sincerely I don’t subscribe to retaliations, because it may further compound the problems.All hands must be in desk to find the lasting solutions to these perennial and disturbing situations.
He call on Government to approach the unending clashes holistically, and urgently provide relief materials to victims now that they don’t have a voice (Representative)in the Legislative chamber of Taraba state House of Assembly.
The Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, in a statement issue to Journalists in Jalingo by the Special Adviser, Media and Digital Communication Emmanuel Bello, condemned, in the strongest term, the violence in the communities, describing the carnage as horrendous and unacceptable.
Dr Agbu Kefas said such occurrences only drag the state backwards instead of the progress she should be making.
“It would be recalled that Karim Lamido has been in the news lately for banditry attacks.
“The recent reports have it that in a fresh attack, many lives were lost in the Munga Lelau community.
Governor Kefas mourned the dead and condoled with affected families.
He decried the violence and warned that the aggressors would suffer great repercussions. Dr. Kefas also reiterated his commitment to continue to secure the state from external attacks and other forms of aggression.
Governor Kefas stressed the need for greater collaboration between the people and security forces, especially in the areas of vigilance and sensitive information sharing.
He assured Tarabans of his administration’s resolve to continue prioritising security above anything else, noting that the safety of the citizenry remains his main job.
He appeal for calm and urged citizens to be conscious of their environment and report all suspicious movements to law enforcement agencies.
Recall that a renewed wave of violence in some communities of Karim Lamido Local Government of Taraba state leaving more than 30 people dead and dozens displaced in Munga and Magami villages.