Nasarawa govt warns against reprisal attacks after killings

From Abel Leonard, Lafia

The Nasarawa State Government has warned residents of Karmo community in Toto Local Government Area against reprisal attacks following a farmer-herder clash that claimed lives and heightened tension in the area.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Labaran Magaji, SAN, gave the warning on Saturday when he visited the community to commiserate with the families of the victims.

Magaji condemned the violence, describing the clash as avoidable, and appealed to residents to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.

He said the deaths were painful, particularly as the affected community was his ancestral home, adding that the government was concerned about the situation and committed to restoring peace.

“As a son of the soil, my own community has been ravaged by skirmishes, leading to the death of some of our brothers and sisters. Those deaths were really very painful to us. It was a clash that was actually avoidable between farmers and herders,” he said.

The SSG said he was in the community to convey the condolences of Governor Abdullahi Sule and the state government to the families of the victims.

He disclosed that the Chairman of Toto Local Government Area, Ahmed Baba Yahaya, alongside the council’s Chief Security Officer, had commenced a peace meeting with the parties involved in the crisis to find a lasting solution.

Magaji added that Governor Sule had dispatched a high-level government delegation to assess the situation and determine the assistance necessary for those affected.

He called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to support the victims, stressing that the situation required humanitarian intervention rather than political considerations.

As part of the intervention, Magaji, on behalf of the Matwalle Empowerment and Development Foundation, donated 400 bags of rice and N1 million to the affected persons.

He said the gesture was intended to provide relief to the victims irrespective of their political affiliations.

“It is not the amount, it is not the quantity, but the spirit. What we are giving has nothing to do with politics. Everybody directly affected should be able to benefit from it irrespective of political parties. What we are doing is service to humanity,” he said.

The SSG also urged security agencies to sustain their presence in the area to prevent further violence and ensure that the crisis did not recur.

In his remarks, the community leader, Madakin Karmo, Sala Maikasuwa, commended Governor Sule and the SSG for identifying with the community during the difficult period.

Maikasuwa urged residents to exercise restraint and support efforts to restore peace, noting that the community needed unity to overcome the situation.

Similarly, the Administrator of Gadabuke Area Administrative Council, Mr Isa Habis Aboki, condemned the killings and appealed to youths in the area not to take the law into their own hands.

Aboki specifically urged residents to stop blocking roads and to desist from reprisal attacks, warning that such actions could worsen the situation and lead to further loss of lives.

He expressed hope that the peace meeting initiated by the Toto Local Government chairman would help restore calm and rebuild peaceful relations between farmers and herders in the affected communities.