Herdsmen kill two Tiv farmers in Taraba
•’We’ve received alert of fresh attack’ From John Mkom, Jalingo Suspected herders have killed two Tiv farmers in an ambush at Tse-Ukwe, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State. About
•’We’ve received alert of fresh attack’
From John Mkom, Jalingo
Suspected herders have killed two Tiv farmers in an ambush at Tse-Ukwe, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
About six others escaped with severe injuries, the survivors said.
The attack and killings come just seven days after governors Agbu Kefas of Taraba State and Hyacinth Alia of Benue State met at Wukari and deliberated over the debilitating security situation in the region.
Donga, the affected area is between Wukari and Takum local government areas, where the two governors visited the Tiv Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
Ter-Donga, the traditional ruler of Tiv people in Donga Local Government Area from the Southern Taraba State, Zaki Ugondu Uma, said the herdsmen were armed with sophisticated weapons.
“Some Tiv farmers who are IDPs had gone to obtain food stuff from their farms. While returning to Tor-Damsa where they are being camped, they were attacked at Tse-Ukwe. Two of them were killed, others escaped with wounds.
“The two persons killed yesterday were already displaced by the same herders. They were taking refuge at Tor-Damsa,” Uma said.
The Tiv traditional ruler gave the names of those killed by the marauders as Boniface Aondowase, 32, and Aondoakura Adi, 35, all of Tse-Kur village of Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The bodies of the slain farmers were recovered by the military and handed over to the Tiv community for burial, it was learnt.
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The chief said the community has received an alert of impending attack by the herdsmen.
“We have been informed that the herders have concluded arrangements to come and attack us here in Tor-Damsa in no time,” he cried out, calling on the government to come to their rescue.
“Our people have been chased away from their ancestral communities; they have come to take refuge here in Tor-Damsa. Even here they are still being killed, where do we run to?” he queried, his voice saddened.
The Chairman of Donga Local Government, Yahaya Aliyu, declined to comment on the incident.
“I will get back to you in few minutes,” Aliyu told our correspondent on the phone.
Also, the spokesman of the state Police Command, Victor Mshrizer, who promised to give details of the incident, has not done so.
