Eleven killed, many displaced as herdsmen attack Taraba villages
Fulani have killed 11 villagers in Taraba State. According to reports, the massacre started because a local herder had on Monday, May 6, let his cows graze on a local farm. The farmer became mad and attacked the herder. After the attack, the Fulani community became very upset. Local leaders tried to resolve the issue without violence, but this did not work.
The Fulani then attacked the village where the farmer was from as well as several others. During this attack, hundreds were displaced and many houses were destroyed. Most of the victims had nothing to do with the Fulani herder who destroyed the farm, or the farmer who then attacked him. Most of those killed or affected were only living peacefully in their communities.
One of the residents, Hon. Cyprian Kamai said hundreds of the displaced persons were taking refuge in Kona village and Nunkai Primary School in Jalingo and he called on security agencies to deploy officers in the area.
As of now, it has not been confirmed if there was any religious basis for this attack, but the normal narrative of a herder and farmer conflict does not fit. If this was the normal historical herder and farmer conflict, the violence would have been between the herder and farmer’s families, and would not have involved whole villages. Also, it is likely that the vast majority of those killed or displaced are Christians.
Sources: Persecution.org, Punchng.com
