Mambila Crisis: Peace restored in warring communities – Gov

Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba on Thursday said peace and tranquility had been restored to Mambila Plateau in Sardauna Local Government area of the state after the communal clashes that claimed lives in the area.

Ishaku made this known while fielding questions from State House correspondents after his closed door meeting with the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He revealed that already the state government had sent so many emissaries to the troubled areas with a view to consolidating the peace so far recorded.

“We are trying to consolidate on the peace. We are trying to reconcile people.

“We have sent so many emissaries up there for peace initiatives and so far so good, the place has calmed down, there is security everywhere, they are doing their best and we are happy with them.

‘`We are trying as much as possible to put the past behind us while we look into the details later on when the place is fully calm,” he said.

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The governor, who frowned at the loss of lives as well as the level of destruction and damages recorded as a result of the communal clashes, said adequate measures were being taken to prevent future occurrence.

He said: “Of course the crisis erupted; it shouldn’t have erupted to that level. One of the local Chiefs was taken to a particular location but rumour went round that the opposite camp kidnapped him to be murdered.

“So they now went on rampage. That is simply the truth of the matter and we had to make sure that he was back the following day but then, the damage had been done.

“In this modern age, with various means of communication like telephone, Facebook and many more, the message went viral so we were left with the option of fire fighting and largely we succeeded but of course we had to bear the pains of the losses incurred, which comprised lives, buildings and cows.’’

Ishaku stated that the state government had inaugurated a fact-finding committee saddled with the task of quantifying the level of damages and casualties recorded as a result of the crisis.