ARMY SAYS TARABA CRISIS WORSE THAN BOKO HARAM ATTACKS

Aftermath of a clash in Taraba state

The crisis in Taraba state which left many dead and scores injured is worse than Boko Haram attacks, acting General Officer Commanding 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, said on Saturday.

Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashed in Mambilla Plateau, Sardauna Local Government area of the state.

Brig.-Gen. Benjamin Ahanotu, speaking at the palace of the Chief of Mambilla, Dr Shehu Audu Baju II, expressed shock when he visited the scenes of the killings.

"Even Boko Haram did not slaughter women and children but here I saw young children and pregnant women'' killed."

Lack of preventive measures

The army official condemned the traditional rulers of the community for failing to put in place proactive measures to prevent the crisis.

He said throughout the crisis, Mambilla village heads and community leaders did not assist the wounded but watched them die helplessly.

"As elders, they did not also make any effort to convey the injured to hospitals, making the victim to lose confidence in the system and seek medical attention in neighbouring Cameroon Republic.

"We should know that the victims are fellow Nigerians and indigenes of this area who should be treated with dignity," he said.

Police records

Meanwhile, Yukubu Babas, the Commissioner of Police in Taraba, has put the death toll from the Taraba crisis at 18.

Babas said two persons had been arrested in connection with the crisis and investigation was still in progress.

He said that in spite of the difficult terrain on the plateau, security operatives had been able to penetrate the hinterland to save lives.