Jalingo— Alarmed by the magnitude of killings and destruction of property in Wukari and Ibi local government areas of the state, Taraba State Government yesterday slammed a 24-hour curfew on the two warring communities.
Similarly, the police have been deployed in the affected communities to prevent the escalation of violence and to fish out the perpetrators of the attacks.
The Taraba State Police Commissioner, Mrs. Kalafite Adeyemi, who announced the measures during a visit to the areas yesterday, warned that adequate punitive measures would be taken by security agents to deal with the masterminds of the crisis.
Adeyemi, who was accompanied by senior police officers and other security agents to the crisis torn communities, said it was disturbing that the two communities had chosen to be attacking each other despite all attempts by the police to bring peace to the areas.
The visit of the commissioner came as the death toll in the last clash on Sunday morning rose to 22 from the initial 11.
It will be recalled that Sunday’s attack, which claimed many lives started over an argument between two persons near a church in Wukari.
The spat later degenerated into a fight that led to the burning of a shop near the church which has a battery charging point for cell phone users.
An eyewitness Mallam Bako Useni, said the quarrel was between a Christian and a Muslim and also led to the shooting of some soldiers, who were deployed to quell the fighting.
It will be recalled that there had been serious crises in Wukari, which led to the signing of the recent peace agreement among Fulani, Tiv, Jukun and Muslims in the area on one hand, and the Taraba State Government on the other.
