16th April, 2014
The Taraba Police Command has confirmed the death of seven persons in the violence that broke out overnight in Wukari, Taraba state.
ASP Joseph Kwaji, Police Public Relations Officer, said in Jalingo that the violence was a reprisal attack.
He explained that the reprisal attacks was carried out by youths in the town following alleged incessant raids by suspected herdsmen from surrounding villages.
“I can confirm to you that seven persons died in the violence, while many others had various degrees of injuries, which also left many houses burnt,” he said.
Kwaji dispelled the rumour that the crisis was religious. “Let me use this opportunity to tell the public that the crisis was neither religious nor political,” adding that teams of security personnel had since contained the situation.
The state Acting Gov. Alhaji Garba Umar, had imposed a 24-hour curfew on the town.
Alhaji Umar Waziri, the Taraba Coordinator of the Red Cross, however, told NAN that in spite of the curfew, violence in the town was still going on.
“This situation has made it difficult to ascertain the actual figure of casualties,” he added.