An attack by herders on farming communities in Bali Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State has reportedly left one person injured and resulted in the destruction of sixty-two houses.
According to reports, the violence stemmed from a dispute over access to a water source identified as a pond situated between the villages of Tor Bali and Atongo. The pond has long been a point of contention between Tiv farmers and suspected Fulani herders.
Bali LGA Chairman, Aboki Dauda, explained that tensions escalated when a woman fetching water at the pond was confronted by a cow. The cow allegedly tried to drink from the pond at the same time, leading to a confrontation.
Emerging reports filed on Friday, June 20, that the woman was allegedly assaulted by the herders, prompting her to raise an alarm that drew a response from her community.
“Trouble started at the pond where the Tiv people were fetching water, the Fulani herders brought their cattle there, destroyed the area, and a woman who went to fetch water confronted them for spoiling the water by asking their cattle to drink from where they fetch to also drink,โ a resident narrated.
“On that day, we were working on our farms and we saw them come from different directions with sticks and machetes and we had to flee for our lives.”
“While running, I pulled out my phone and called our Tiv leader, who instructed me to run to the police station immediately. While escaping, I couldnโt go further. I stopped, and they pounced on me and that was how they inflicted injuries on me.”
In response to the incident, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas emphasized that the government will not tolerate any form of communal violence or farmer-herder conflict that threatens the state’s peace efforts.
Zaki Gbaa, a Tiv community leader, received a state delegation led by Saviour Noku, Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Affairs. Noku stressed the importance of proactive measures, noting that It is always cheaper to prevent a crisis than to respond to one.
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