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At last, the much-desired peace between the Tiv and the Jukun, which Governors Darius Ishaku of Taraba State and Samuel Ortom of Benue failed to achieve before leaving the country for holidays, is about being realised by their deputies.
Deputy Governor of Taraba, Haruna Manu, and his Benue counterpart, Benson Abounu, in the absence of their principals, seem to have brokered peace between the two warring ethnic groups.
At the time of filing this report, normalcy had gradually begun to return on both lands.
Recall that the two groups have been on each other’s jugular for the past two weeks, leading to massive killings and wanton destruction of valuables.
Both deputies, who yesterday meet at the premises of the Federal University, Wukari in Taraba, did not hide their ill-feelings towards the two groups who recently threw all cautions to the winds.
They both expressed disappointment at the people’s action, despite frantic efforts by the two state governments to ensure that peace prevailed.
Manu, who called on the people, especially the youths, to bury the hatchet and embrace peace for the good of all, said for the dream of his principal to get dividends of democracy to the nooks and crannies of the state, peace must reign.
Abounu described as heartbroken the upheaval between the duo tribes whom he observed share many things in common.
He urged Tiv people living in Taraba to remain calm and respect constituted authority, as the laws of the state bound them.
The Benue deputy governor admonished security agents to be up and doing in protecting lives and property by taking proactive measures in conflict management.
Security chiefs from both states, who were visibly perturbed by the wanton destruction of lives and property, warned the youth against taking the law into their hands, as doing so would only worsen the situation.
They collectively agreed that henceforth any person found breaching the peace of the land would be severely dealt with according to the law, no matter how highly-placed.
