By Richard Emmanuel Benjamin
Tension has griped people living in Southern Taraba following killing of a pastor and his wife by suspected Tiv militia. The latest killing, occurred few days after six Fulani and two Jukun were ambushed and killed by suspected militia along Wukari-RafinKada road in southern part of state.
Pastor Emanuel Beliya of CRCN Maraban Baissa and his wife Juliana Emanuel were killed while working on their farm on Monday at Maraban Baissa in Donga local government area of the state by suspected Tiv militia.
The area which was engulfed by violent clashes between Tiv and Ichen ethnic groups recently had claimed lives of dozens of people.
#Daybreaknews gathered that the killing of the Jukun pastor has heightened tension in the area as Jukun accused Tiv militia of killing of the pastor and his wife. The killing came when efforts were being made to reconcile Tiv and Jukun by Taraba state government.
It was also gathered that Jukun and other ethnic groups in Southern Taraba are accusing the Tiv of causing the crisis in southern Taraba as part of their expansionist agenda.
Reacting over the incident, Governor Darius Ishaku condemned the killing of the pastor and his wife by suspected militia, calling it wicked and inhuman. He said this through his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Hon. Bala Dan Habu, that killings of this nature have happened too often recently in southern Taraba communities and he stand to condemned it in totality.
Ishaku, also described the killing as unhelpful to the ongoing efforts of the state government to achieve lasting peace among communities in southern Taraba.
Reacting to the accusations against the tiv, onbehalf of the tiv communities in Taraba State, the president Tiv cultural Association in the state, Mr. Goodman Dahida, said it is unfortunate that Tiv people are always point at to any killing that accure in southern Taraba.
He said even though Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups are in crisis but it is unfortunate that the Tiv are always accused of all the killings in the area.
“Let everyone open his eyes in southern Taraba because there could be some people behind the killings in order to prolong the crisis,” Dahida said.
Meanwhile the police spokesperson DSP David Misal has confirmed the incident and has lauched an investigation towards the killing.
He advised the people not to live in fair as the police and the government are working round the clock to restore peace and coexistence in the area.
