Tension grips Taraba as 3 killed, houses burnt in fresh Tiv/Jukun clash

Communal crisis has been renewed in Taraba state amid growing security threats.

Youth of Tiv and Jukun tribes in Dananacha town unleashed mayhem on one another.

Three people were reportedly killed while many houses were burnt as police commenced peace effort.

A renewal of conflict between the Tiv and Jukun groups in Dananacha town, Gassol local government area of Taraba state has led the death of at least three people with many houses reportedly burnt.

According to Daily Trust, the fresh crisis began on Wednesday, August 19, between youths who were said to belong to the two warring tribes.

Initially, elders from the town ethnic groups were able to douse the tension but on Thursday, August 20, new violence ensued leading to bloodshed and deaths of three people.

Legit.ng notes that this would not be the first communal attack in the local government as in years back, the two rival groups have locked horns, resulting to deaths of many and destruction of properties worth millions.

The cause of the conflict has not been clearly pronounced but an eyewitness, Musa Rabiu attributed land ownership and name change of a town from Dananacha to Kwararafa to the renewed violence between the two groups.

Rabiu said the ceaseless violence has made many people especially women flee the conflict-ridden communities.

Reacting to the incident, spokesperson of Taraba State Police Command, David Misal, confirmed the shootout but said there was no casualty.

Misal also confirmed that police have intervened, adding that heightened efforts have been channelled to restore sanity to the community.

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that some daredevil gunmen carried out an attack on another community in Adamawa state in northeast Nigeria.

The attack occurred at a fishing community called Mbemun, somewhere in Lamurde local government area.

According to an eyewitness who spoke to the online news medium, the gunmen set fire to many homes after storming the area in the early hours of Saturday.