Nine people were on Tuesday killed at Ibi in Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State in a reprisal attack carried out by Fulani herdsmen to avenge the killing of their kinsman by Tiv farmers.
Besides, several people including women and children sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attack, which occurred in the early hours of the day while properties worth millions of naira including houses were destroyed.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO), Mr. Joseph Kwaji, told THISDAY that nine bodies had been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary while those injured are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
The attack is coming on the heels of ongoing efforts initiated by the state government to eradicate the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers which have claimed several hundreds of lives.
THISDAY investigations revealed that the crisis was sparked by the killing of a Fulani herdsman who entered a farm belonging to a Tiv with his cattle to graze, leading to massive destruction of the farm.
When news of the killing of the Fulani got to the other herdsmen, they allegedly mobilised themselves to carry out a reprisal attack on the Tiv farmers and in the process, nine people were killed while others fled.
In a bid to bring the situation under control and have first hand assessment of the situation, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ekechukwu Nwodibo, who resumed in the state penultimate week, arrived the town which is about 270kilometres from Jalingo at about 9a.m. to personally take charge of security in the area.
Though Kwaji told THISDAY that no arrest had been made so far, he however noted that efforts were on top gear to bring the perpetrators to book while also enjoining the people in the area to go about their normal duties without any fear of attack or molestation.
Hundreds of Tiv farmers had been killed by Fulani herdsmen in recent years, while over 200,000 of them were displaced from their homes and have just started returning to their homes following the intervention of Governor Darius Ishaku before the latest incident.
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