Ebun Francis
Not less than 20 people are believed killed and many others missing in an ongoing violent clash between Tivs and Fulanis in Sabon Gidan village of Dan Anacha town, Taraba State on Sunday.
Sources within the affected communities said the fighting was triggered by the discovery of two corpses of Fulanis by their kinsmen in a bush. The discovery was believed to have lead to reprisal attacks on Tivs by the Fulanis.
According to one of the residents who did not want his name mentioned, ” I counted about 20 corpses who were believed to have been killed early hours of today, Sunday.”
“Many people including women and children are nowhere to be found,” he stated.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr David Misal, who confirmed the incident, said that the police would soon release the casualty figure.
“Actually, I cannot lie to you there are casualties, but we will release the figures later after we might have finish combing the area.
“It was an undercover attack by some unidentified people in the area.”
The acting Chairman of Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier, Mr Dooior Torkula, said a total of 18 persons were killed in separate attacks. According to him, 12 corpses were in Dan-Anacha shortly after the attack while four bodies were recovered from the Borno- Kruku road on the outskirts of Dan-Anacha, and another two from their farms.
The police spokesman said calm had returned to the area following the arrival of armed mobile policemen, who currently patrolling the area.