Tiv, Fulani Clash: Over 20 Killed In Doma

(Leadershi) Over 20 villagers were feared killed in a renewed violence between suspected Tiv militiamen from Benue State on the one hand and Agatu/Fulani on the other in Rukubi community in Doma local government area of Nasarawa State yesterday. Several other people were left with various degrees of gunshot wounds.

The Tiv attackers, also known as Soja Patali, were said to have attacked the community at about 6am. They reportedly opened fire on the villagers most of whom were women and children.

Though reasons for the attack were not immediately ascertained, LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident was connected to the alleged harbouring of Fulani herdsmen. The Tiv farmers’ attempts to resettle in their ancestral homes have reportedly been frustrated by the herdsmen and their “collaborators” since the outbreak of the crisis that has affected mostly the Ekye development area in Doma LGA of Nasarawa State for the past two years.

Rukubi, the community dominated by the Agatu tribe, has in recent times been the centre of allegations of harbouring the Fulani herdsmen who attack the local Tiv farmers. It was also alleged that the herdsmen were mercenaries hired by some individuals to sack Tiv farmers from the area.

At present, no fewer than 18,000 farmers, mostly the Eggon and Tiv ethnic nationalities, are still taking refuge at different communities across the state. All efforts by the state government to end the persistent communal clashes have not yielded the desired results.

The president of Tiv Youth Organisation in the state, Hon. Peter Igbacher Kwembe, who condemned the incident, dismissed insinuations that the attack was carried out by the Tiv people, pointing out that his kinsmen have been forced out of their ancestral homes for over two years.

He insisted that the allegation was a calculated attempt to further hurt the Tiv people as well as subject them to further attacks in places where they have been taking refuge in the past two years.

All efforts to obtain comments on the matter from the commissioner of police, Nasarawa State command, Umar Shehu, were not successful. He could neither pick phone calls nor reply text messages put to his mobile phone.

Gunmen kill Sokoto Assembly member

In a related development, unknown gunmen yesterday shot dead Alhaji Murtala Wauru, a member representing Gada West/Wauru constituency at the Sokoto State House of Assembly.

The incident occurred about 9:30pm along Mabera, within the state capital.

Attahiru Wauru became a lawmaker in 1999. In 2003, he lost his re-election bid. Wauru later contested and won in 2007 and, since then, remained the member representing Gada West/ Wauru constituency at the State House of Assembly.

Confirming the death in his office, commissioner of police, Sokoto State command, Shaibu Gambo, said the incident was unfortunate.

According to the CP, the assailant traced the lawmaker on a KASEA motorcycle and cornered him to a dark area where they attempted to snatch his Honda. “Examination of the scene confirms that the late member struggled with the assailants before he was killed. We recovered four empty shells at the scene and the shells were that of AK47,” the CP said, adding that the command had adequate security measures capable of checkmating all manner of crime.

The CP assured that they had alerted the neigbouring states of Zamafara, Kebbi and Katsina.

It was not the first time a prominent politician was killed in the Mabera  area. A prominent politician, Alhaji Dandamana, was equally killed years ago at Mana, adjacent Mabera, within the metropolis.

Hon. Murtala Wauru, according to LEADERSHIP findings, left behind two wives and five children and was nursing the ambition of contesting for Gada local government chairmanship by 2015.

When LEADERSHIP visited the residence of the slain lawmaker, the whole area was deserted.

The lawmaker was, until his death, a loyal member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was the chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation.