A joint security team of military and police personnel are already in the area to restore order.
At least 50 people have been reportedly killed and several houses burnt as fresh communal clashes erupted on Saturday in Karim Lamido Local Government in Taraba State, witnesses said.
But police said the number of casualties cannot yet be ascertained due to the inaccessibility of the terrain at the time of the findings.
The state’s police command spokesperson, Usman Abdullahi, said the new crisis between the Wurkuns and the Karimjos started around 3 a.m. as “guerilla attacks.”
“In the last few days, there have been pockets of guerilla attacks in some communities in the area whereby the Karimjos attack the Wurkuns, and the Wurkuns also attack in return, or the Wurkuns attack the Karimjos, and they also attack in return,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi said a joint security team of military and police personnel are already in the area to restore order.
The latest killings and destruction of properties, including houses, farmlands and domestic animals, is coming barely a week after the state governor, Agbu Kefas, met with traditional rulers and heads of security agencies on the need to foster peace.
“Taraba State, like many parts of our great nation, has been grappling with the scourge of insecurity. The rising cases of banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and farmer-herder conflicts have caused immense pain and sufferings to our people,” he said during the meeting.
“The loss of innocent lives, displacement of communities and destruction of properties have cast a dark cloud over our once peaceful state. Our collective responsibility is to confront these challenges head-on and restore peace and security to our state.
“In the face of such adversities, unity and collaboration becomes paramount. We must set aside our differences to embrace dialogue and work together to find a lasting solution.
“Your Royal Highnesses, I implore you to harness your influence, bring your communities together, and foster an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation; by fostering peace at the grassroots, or at the grassroots level, you can pave the way for a harmonious and prosperous state as I said earlier, as the custodians of our traditions and culture, you possess a unique power to shape the hearts and minds of our people.
“It is in this regard that I urge you to utilise the power to promote peace, discourage violence, and encourage youth engagement in productive activities, by leading by example and promoting the values of tolerance, respect and peaceful coexistence; we can create a society where every citizen can feel secure, and go about their productive endeavours,” he said.
In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported clashes between the two ethnic groups after the appointment of a Wurkun man as the monarch in the area.
The Karimjo people felt that the appointment was unfair to them, especially after creating a new chiefdom for the Wurkuns in Bambur.