Fresh clash erupts in Mambilla Plateau

A fresh outbreak of hostilities has been reported in the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.But the state police command, which confirmed the outbreak, disclosed that it had ordered law and order to be restored at Hainare village in the Mambilla Plateau of Sardauna Lovcal Council Area, which was razed down by some attackers.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), David Misal, said: “Though no human casualty was recorded, several houses and property were destroyed.” The police did not confirm how the attack started, but a source at the Fulani community accused the Mambilla ethnic group of attacking their villages.

Misal disclosed that more security personnel had been deployed in the area, adding that: “We are on top of the situation as normalcy has returned to the area.”

The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hassan Jika Ardo, said the Fulani in Mambilla “have been under siege since June 17 and the condition has continued unabated particularly in Hainare village.”He confirmed that no life was lost, but added, “all the houses were set ablazed, while they carted away our cattle and property.

“ It is sad that no single arrest has been made since the crisis started in the Mambilla. The Federal Government and the international community should, as a matter of urgency, come to the rescue of the Fulani by evacuating them from their present abode to where their lives would be adequately protected.”

The ambassador who disclosed that several Fulani people are presently taking refuge in the neighboring Cameroon, said: “We have already lost confidence in the state government.

He added: “We have already approached the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Federal Government to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.”
Reacting, the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku, on Media and Publicity Matters, Bala Dan Abu debunked an allegation that the governor was behind the crisis.

He said: “How can the government that is committed to peace, that has spent so much resources to ensure peace in the state be the one behind such a crisis? It is impossible, because a lot is being done by government to ensure peace.”

He urged the people to support the governor to achieve its desire for the state.The National Leader of the Mambilla Ethnic Group, Ambassador Emmanuel Q. Njiwah, said: “The Mambilla people are peace-loving people and could never have been the attackers as being claimed by the Fulani.”

He urged the Fulani to join hands with the state government to permanently put the clash to rest to restore peace between the two ethnic groups who have been living together for decades.