18 feared killed in Taraba violence

Eighteen people are feared killed and many others missing in a violent clash between Tivs and Fulanis in Sabon Gidan village of Dan Anacha town in Gassol Local Council of Taraba State.

Sources from the area said the crisis started at the weekend when two bodies of Fulani were found killed in a bush. This triggered alleged reprisal attacks on Tivs.

A resident of the area said he counted about 20 bodies that were allegedly killed in the early hours of yesterday.

“Many people including women and children are nowhere to be found,” the source added.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. David Misal, who confirmed the incident, said that the police would soon release the casualty figure.

“Actually, I cannot lie to you there are casualties, but we will release the figures later after we might have finish combing the area.

“It was an undercover attack by some unidentified people in the area,” Misal said.

In a telephone interview with The Guardian, the Acting Chairman of the Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier, Dooior Tokula, said the persistent attacks on the Tiv farmers by suspected herdsmen, had made it “impossible for our people to farm.”

A recent attempt by the state government to change the name of the said village (Dan-Anacha) to Kwararafa almost led to violence but for the swift intervention of security operatives.

The acting Chairman of Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier, Mr. Dooior Torkula, said a total of 18 persons were killed in separate attacks.

Torkula said the frontier recovered 12 bodies in Dan-Anacha shortly after the attacks.

According to him, four bodies were recovered from the Borno- Kruku road on the outskirts of Dan-Anacha, while two others were recovered in their farms. He alleged that the attackers broke into most of the victims’ houses while they slept and murdered them.