Many residents of Mai Tumbi community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau have been feared killed with their houses burnt, in a fresh clash between herders and farmers in the state.
According to reports by Daily Trust, the clash which started on Friday, has continued with many left dead and more displaced.
Ibrahim Musa, a member of the affected community told Daily Trust that the number of casualties cannot be determined yet, as many of the residents are fleeing for safety.
“The crisis is still ongoing. Hundreds of people are fleeing the village. I cannot give you the exact number of people killed but many were killed. More than a hundred houses were burnt.”
The spokesperson for the State Police Command, DSP Alabo Alfred, said security operatives are aware of the development and have deployed their men and troops of Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security taskforce maintaining peace in the state, to restore order in the community.
Alfred said, “I don’t want to give you conflicting figures. Security personnel has been deployed to ensure normalcy in the area.”
The Director General of Plateau State Peace Building Agency or PPBA, Joseph Lengmang, condemned the incident: “We are deeply saddened by the ugly turn of events in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State where disturbing reports indicate a deteriorating security situation in some parts of the locality that has led to the death of scores of precious human lives and property destroyed.”
Clashes between herdsmen and farmers have become a recurrence in the state and other neighboring states in the North-Central part of the country like Niger, Benue, and Kogi states, killing hundreds.
A violent clash between herders and farmers in Mai Tumbi, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, has resulted in numerous deaths and the burning of over a hundred houses. The conflict, which began on Friday, has led to widespread displacement with many residents fleeing for safety, making it difficult to determine the exact number of casualties.
The State Police Command and the multi-security taskforce, Operation Safe Haven, have been deployed to the area to restore order. The Director General of the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, Joseph Lengmang, expressed deep sadness over the incident. Such clashes have become frequent in Plateau and nearby North-Central states like Niger, Benue, and Kogi, previously resulting in hundreds of fatalities.
