One person has been injured, and sixty-two houses have been destroyed following an attack by suspected herders on farming communities in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.
According to Channels Television, the attack stemmed from a dispute over a water source. The contested water source, a pond, is situated between Tor Bali and Atongo villages and has been a point of conflict between Tiv farming communities and Fulani herders.
The Chairman of Bali Local Government Area, Aboki Dauda, explained that the tension escalated when a woman fetching water from the pond was confronted by a cow competing with her for access to the water. The herders allegedly assaulted the woman, prompting her to raise an alarm, which triggered reactions from her community members.
“What happened here was terrible, you can see houses burnt, people displaced, but thank God that there was no life lost.
“Trouble started at the pond where the Tiv people were fetching water, the Fulani herders brought their cattle there, destroyed the area, and a woman who went to fetch water confronted them for spoiling the water by asking their cattle to drink from where they fetch to also drink,” he said.
“There and then, they attacked her with their sticks and she fell, cried, and called the husband and neighbours to assist her, and from there the crisis escalated all over the two communities.
”I took a bold step and summoned the leaders of the herders at the local government secretariat. We have identified them and warned that if such is repeated, they will be held responsible. The Fulani herders do not listen to their parents, that’s the problem we have with them.”
A farmer, Ezekiel Gboo, in Tor Baki village, who narrowly escaped death, revealed that: ”On that day, we were working on our farms and we saw them come from different directions with sticks and machetes and we had to flee for our lives.
”While running, I pulled out my phone and called our Tiv leader, who instructed me to run to the police station immediately. While escaping, I couldn’t go further. I stopped, and they pounced on me; they were about 30, hitting me with sticks and cutlasses, and that was how they inflicted injuries on me.”
Meanwhile, the Taraba State Government says it will not tolerate any breach of peace in the form of communal clashes or any farmers vs herders conflicts to scuttle its peace efforts.
The Taraba State Government said this when its delegation visited the affected area to provide succour in the form of nonfood items and solicited for peaceful coexistence among feuding groups.
Zaki Gbaa, the leader of the Tiv communities, received the delegation led by Saviour Noku, who is also the Taraba State Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Affairs.
”Let’s try to live in peace with our neighbours, I know you’re peace-loving people and I want us to learn from what has happened and let us give peace a chance.
“It is always cheaper to stop a crisis from happening than to be reactionary; be proactive.
“What we have come up with is just an interim measure. I know we have more plans to make you comfortable and return to your ancestral homes,” the commissioner said.
Veronica Alhassan, the representative for Bali One Constituency in the Taraba State House of Assembly and a member of the delegation, urged the communities to embrace peace and let go of any bitterness.
The delegation also visited the Chief of Bakundi Palace, seeking the traditional ruler’s support in fostering peace within his domain.
Additionally, the delegation provided relief materials to victims of last week’s windstorm in the Garba Chede community of Bali council area. The storm claimed six lives and destroyed over 200 houses.