The Chairman of Wukari Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State, Mr. Daniel Adi, yesterday confirmed that 10 people were killed and several others injured in the ongoing clash between Jukun and Tiv ethnic groups in the state.
The Jukun and Tiv ethnic groups share common boundary with Benue and Taraba States.
Speaking with journalists in Wukari, Adi, who called for calm, said more than nine communities had so far been razed while the villagers from the Kente ward of the affected area had been displaced.
“As I am talking to you now, several households, including the Government Day Secondary School, Kente, were burnt down by the attackers in the early hours of today (yesterday).
“I made efforts to contact my counterpart in the Ukum LGA in Benue State to appeal to his people to lay down their arms and embrace peace.”
He disclosed that his council would foot the medical bills of the injured persons currently receiving treatment at the general hospital.
Meanwhile, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant who hailed from the area, Chief David Kente, has condemned the wanton destruction of lives and property.
He described the crisis as unfortunate, adding that the Tiv and Jukun in Kente had co-existed peacefully for many years after their first clash in 1991.
Kente appealed to the warring parties to embrace peace and sheathe their swords, promising that all those who lost their property to the current crisis on both sides of the divide would be assisted.
“This is achievable because after the 1991 clash between the two ethnic groups in Kente area, I single-handedly provided succour to all the affected communities by providing roofing sheets, cement and related building materials for them.
“I also provided boreholes for the affected communities both on the Benue and Taraba sides,” he said.
