Sixty-four residents of Kona communities in Jalingo, Taraba State lost their lives in the continued attacks by armed herdsmen, Augustine Njenmang, Paramount Ruler of area has said.
Njenmang added that an early return and rehabilitation of the survivors of the attacks, who are currently in IDP camps, to their places of abode was expedient to avoid an impending food crisis in the area and the state generally.
The Paramount ruler made the appeal on Saturday while interacting with newsmen in Jalingo on the farmers/herders crisis in Kona, a suburb of Jalingo local government area of the state.
The monarch decried the devastation occasioned by the crisis, adding that the displaced people were still living in deplorable conditions in camps and could not even go back to their farms as a result of the siege by the armed herdsmen on their lands.
According to him, “our people are itching to go back to continue with their economic activities but the attackers are still killing people. It is regrettable that they continue to stay in camps because this would cause food shortage in the state.”
He called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to expedite action to provide relief materials to the people and called on the federal government to provide “unbiased security to enable the people return home to continue with their lives”.
While commending church-based organisations for supporting IDPs with food and other relief materials, the traditional ruler appealed to other well-meaning Nigerians to also assist the IDPs.
BusinessDay recalls that Kona communities within Jalingo and Ardo Kola local government areas recently came under heavy attacks from armed herdsmen and have continued to experience some level of attacks for over two months.
