Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

Jukun group decries escalating violence in Jalingo

The socio-cultural group, Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN) has raised the alarm over the escalation of violence in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, which has left eight persons dead, about 100 missing and houses razed. At a press conference held in Apapa, Lagos yesterday, the group, which described the scope of the violence…

Jalingo. Photo: Hotelsng

The socio-cultural group, Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN) has raised the alarm over the escalation of violence in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, which has left eight persons dead, about 100 missing and houses razed.

At a press conference held in Apapa, Lagos yesterday, the group, which described the scope of the violence as “clearly overwhelming and beyond the state’s capacity to handle,” called on the Federal Government to wade in, to prevent the state from being thrown into “avoidable religious crisis.”

The group alleged that the new orgy of violence started on Monday March 11, immediately after the state’s INEC returning officer pronounced Governor Darius Ishaku of the PDP winner of the gubernatorial election, which held last Saturday.

Ishaku had won a second term by defeating his closest rival Alhaji Danladi Sani of the APC, with over 250,000 votes.

JDAN National President, Chief Bako Benjamin, while drawing attention to the escalation of the violence, said the present violence had a religious intonation because only Christians are coming under attacks by people suspected to be Muslim youths.

He said confessional statements of some of the perpetrators arrested by the people lay credence to the fact that the violence was premeditated. “Christians who populate other parts of the state may begin reprisal attacks thereby throwing the state into an avoidable bloodbath.”

Bako praised the governor for moving speedily to calm the situation by imposing a dusk to dawn curfew but observed that as soon as the 24 hours curfew slammed on the state capital was lifted on Thursday, the killings, destruction and burning of houses and vehicles resumed in areas like Nasawo, NTA, and Sabon gari.

0 Comments