Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, on Saturday urged the warring factions in the Tiv/Jukun crisis in Wukari Local Government Area (LGA) of the state to sheathe their sword and give peace a chance.
Ishaku disclosed this in a statement to NAN by Mr Bala Dan Abu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity in Jalingo.
“Gov Ishaku is greatly saddened by the news of the unfortunate renewed violent clashes between Jukuns and their Tiv neighbours in Kente and Rafinkada which occurred on Friday.
“This latest crisis, like the ones before, resulted in the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of valuable properties.
“The Jukuns and the Tiv living in the border communities have every reason to live together in peace, they are both farmers struggling to earn living mainly from the produce from their farms,” he said.
The statement noted that Ishaku had since directed security agencies to move to the scenes in Kente and Rafinkada to curb the crisis.
It quoted Ishaku as appealing to leaders of the communities to play their part by prevailing on their people to drop their weapons and to cooperate with the security agencies to ensure that peace is sustained among them.
According to the statement, Ishaku also condemned the ongoing attacks and killings of innocent people in some farming communities in Ardo Kola and Jalingo LGAs of the state and the reprisal attacks thereafter.
It warned that security agencies have been instructed by the governor to deal ruthlessly with those promoting the crises and killings in the state.
