Governors meet to end Benue/Taraba border insecurity
Governors of Taraba State and Benue State, Agbu Kefas and Hyacinth Alia, have intensified efforts to curb rising insecurity along their shared border, holding a high-level peace meeting with traditional
- From John Mkom, Jalingo
Governors of Taraba State and Benue State, Agbu Kefas and Hyacinth Alia, have intensified efforts to curb rising insecurity along their shared border, holding a high-level peace meeting with traditional rulers in Wukari.
The meeting, held in Kefas’ hometown, Wukari Local Government Area, was part of renewed moves by both administrations to restore calm in communities plagued by killings, displacement and destruction of property.
The talks came amid fresh attacks by gunmen suspected to be herders in Takum, Donga, Ussa and Wukari local government areas of southern Taraba, as well as adjoining border communities in Benue.
Addressing traditional rulers and stakeholders, the governors emphasised collaboration between the two states as critical to ending the violence and rebuilding trust among affected communities.
“We’re committed to tackling insecurity head-on and ensuring sustainable peace,” Kefas said.
He described the joint engagement as a demonstration of political will to confront criminal elements operating in the region.
Alia stressed that lasting peace would require collective responsibility, particularly the involvement of traditional institutions.
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“Lasting peace can only be achieved through collective efforts and mutual understanding between the two states,” he said.
He noted that traditional rulers remain central to conflict resolution and grassroots peacebuilding.
Upon his arrival in Wukari, Alia paid a courtesy visit to the Aku Uka and Chairman of the Taraba State Council of Chiefs, Ishaku Adda Ali, to brief him on the purpose of the visit and seek royal support for the peace initiative.
Alia’s delegation included the Tor Tiv, who highlighted the plight of Tiv communities living under the Aku Uka’s domain and affected by the crisis.
The governors undertook an on-the-spot assessment of the humanitarian situation. They visited Abako, a settlement on the Benue border line, and Chanchaji, a community along the Taraba border, where internally displaced persons (IDPs) have taken refuge in public structures after fleeing their homes.
Many of the displaced residents were forced to abandon their farms, which are their primary source of livelihood, due to repeated attacks by bandits.
The governors assured the IDPs of enhanced security measures, provision of relief materials and sustained government intervention to enable their safe return to their ancestral homes.
They reiterated their resolve to strengthen inter-state collaboration, improve intelligence sharing and deploy coordinated security operations aimed at flushing out criminal elements from the border communities.
Both leaders vowed that the era of unchecked banditry along the Benue-Taraba corridor must come to an end, pledging to work closely with security agencies and traditional institutions to stabilise the region and restore normal socio-economic activities.
The joint engagement marks one of the most coordinated political responses in recent times to the lingering border crisis between the two neighbouring states.
