Mother, child killed in Nasarawa communal crisis
A mother and her child were on Saturday murdered during a communal clash in the Odu electoral ward of Maraba Udege Development Area in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday.
Crisis had broken out in the area following a chieftaincy tussle which led to the displacement of many residents of the area and scores of houses razed down.
Angered by the situation, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, visited the area on Wednesday with a view to proffering a lasting solution to the situation.
Our correspondent who was at the scene of the visit learnt that Sule prohibited the contending families from Odu and Embu communities in the area from participating in the chieftaincy tussle which began three years ago without any success.
The chieftaincy tussle involved the Afor people of Angwan Dutse and the Afor people of Angwan Kasa, both under the Udege Development Area of Nasarawa LGA.
Meanwhile, the tribal crisis which started on Saturday was said to have been ignited over the alleged ownership of a piece of land in the area among the two warring communities.
The governor who took the decision shortly after assessing the level of damage done in the communities, explained that the move was to pave the way for the appointment of an administrator who would work towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the area.
Responding to the number of houses and lives lost during the clash, Sule said, “No, we have not been able to ascertain the number of houses burnt in the crisis, that is what the committee that came with me will be able to do. However, you were with me at Odu where we were told that a child and a woman died during the process and I was able also to talk to the father and the husband who was there. So, earlier on, there had been some killings but right now, I cannot tell exactly what it is.
“As a government, we had to decide for the peace of the land. We cannot allow things to continue the way they are. We decided that as far as the government is concerned, none of the two contending houses would be recognised as in control of Mararaba in the Udege Development Area.
“We are going to appoint an administrator in that particular area who would assist the government to come up with the final solutions,” he said.
While appealing to the warring factions to sheathe their swords and give peace a chance, especially with the current developments in Udege, where mining activities are beginning to take centre stage, he said the decision taken by his administration was based on the various reports submitted to him towards ending the mayhem.
He, however, called on the stakeholders to consider Mararaba as belonging to the Afo nation, not minding their differences.
“According to history, Mararaba has always been under Odu. Mararaba has grown more than Odu to the point that it should be independent, or should have a different status.
“Today, I decided to visit all three places to speak with the people and calm them down. And that’s exactly the whole essence of coming here so that the government will know what to do,” he added.
Speaking on his recent trip to China, Sule emphasised the need for peace in the area, particularly with more discoveries of mineral resources such as lithium and tantalite, noting that a firm, Kenyang Mining Company, had already shown commitment to establish a $250m tantalite processing plant in the Udege Development Area.
Earlier, a retired naval officer, Yahaya Owuna, while welcoming the governor and his entourage, appealed to all the Afo people to lay down their arms to ensure the rapid growth and development of communities in the LGA.
