Taraba to rehabilitate 19,000 victims of Katibu herdsmen attacks

 Taraba Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, said on Sunday that the state government would rehabilitate the over 19,000 victims of the recent violent attacks, allegedly carried out by herdsmen in Katibu, Lau Local Government Area of the state.

Manu announced this at Shawuya Primary School, Jalingo, where some of the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) were camped.
He directed the council chairman, Mr Hassan Waniyafiwani, to liaise with the camp authorities to draw up a list of all the essential needs of the IDPs and submit same to government for action.
The deputy governor also directed the immediate distribution of food items earlier provided by the state to the IDPs at Shawuya Primary School camp and other camps in the area.
Manu said government was doing everything possible to ensure that adequate security was put in place at Katibu so that the victims would feel safe and return to their homes.
He, however, said no amount of support by government would end violent attacks and clashes in the state if people failed to live in peace with one another.
“ You must learn to tolerate one another and live in peace, because nobody will send away his perceived enemy since we are all natives.
“ It was exactly seven months since I visited Lau over similar crises, and I was assured by various communities that there will be no more violence in the area.
“ There are countries that have a population of over 100 million, but do not have the land mass of Taraba, yet they are living in peace. Why can’t we have peace?”
Earlier, the Camp Coordinator, Dauda Godin, said the Jan. 7 attacks had displaced over 19,000 persons, no taking refuge in various IDPs camps.

He said many of the IDPs were suffering from serious psychological trauma, caused by the loss of their loved ones and property.

Godin noted that the poor sanitary conditions on the camp called for an urgent need to avert possible outbreak of diseases, adding that the IDPs were sleeping on bare floor.(NAN)