President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that the number of persons killed in herdsmen and farmers clashes and other violent attacks in Mambilla Plateau, Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State, is more than those killed in Zamfara and Benue states combined.
Speaking in Jalingo on Monday, during a meeting between the Fulani and Mambilla ethnic groups, Mr. Buhari said he ”has a way of gathering his own information on all the crises and killings in the country.”
The president, who said he was in the state to condole with the government and those who lost their loved ones, described attacks and shedding of blood as unfortunate.
He said peace and security were not the responsibility of the government alone but a collective one.
He appealed to all to ensure that justice is done to all the people at all times, adding that the perpetrators of the heinous acts would be identified and punished.
He appealed to all to ensure that justice is done to all the people at all times, adding that the perpetrators of the heinous acts would be identified and punished.
Speaking earlier, the Taraba Governor, Darius Ishaku, thanked the president for the visit and assured that the administration would do everything possible to ensure that peace was maintained in the state.
The governor also assured the president that the traditional institutions and leaders of Sardauna Local Government would be mobilised to work together to ensure the take-off of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in the area.
In the president ‘s entourage were service chiefs, ministers of information, defence and women affairs as well as some members of the National Assembly from Taraba.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
Adesina said Buhari would begin his journey with a trip to Taraba State on Monday; and that he would subsequently visit Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers states.The presidential spokesman, however, did not disclose when the trips to the four states will take place.
The statement read:
“In view of recent terrorist attacks, criminal activities and communal clashes in some states leading to tragic loss of lives and kidnapping of 110 schoolgirls, President Muhammadu Buhari immediately tasked the Armed Forces and other security agencies to compile comprehensive reports on the various incidents.