Mambilla Victims Yet to Return Home
Over 17,000 Fulani herdsmen from different communities who were displaced by recent attacks on the Mambilla Plateau by militiamen have appealed to the Federal and Taraba State governments to assist them return to their settlements.
Findings by Daily Trust on Sunday in some of the affected areas revealed that only very few victims have returned to their communities while majority are still staying in areas they fled to in the wake of the attacks which started in June this year and lasted for several days.
Thousands of families who were displaced by the attacks are now in Maisamari, Ngorouje, Gembu, Baruwa and Jalingo, while others are in Banyo and Sambo Labo towns in Cameroon Republic, our findings have revealed.
The Ardo of Mayo Ndaga, Alhaji Dabo, in an interview, said over 2300 families were affected by the attacks in his domain and that the victims had crossed to Banyo in Cameroon, while others were now staying with relations and good Samaritans in Gembu, Baruwa and Maisamari.
He said their houses were burnt and demolished by the attackers, adding that their cattle and other animals were also killed.
Ardo Dabo further explained that the victims were facing untold hardship while their children and wards no longer went to school.
He lamented that relief materials provided by government lasted for only few days and that now most of the victims relied on the support of well wishers, friends and relations.
He further said over 230 cattle belonging to him were killed by the attackers, while his subjects lost thousands of cows, pointing out that the cattle were their main source of livelihood.
“We don’t have any source of income because most of our animals were killed by the attackers and our food reserves were also burnt down.
“It is sad to note that five sheets of zinc and two bags of cement were given as relief materials to a person whose house was burnt down: with such assistance, it is difficult for the victims to rebuild their houses,” Ardo Dabo said.
He said victims of the attacks were disappointed at the authorities for failing to bring to book the perpetrators of the attacks.
Commenting on the plight of the victims of the attacks, Ambassador Hassan Jika Ardo, said the victims were scattered all over the state and Adamawa State, as well as across Cameroon Republic, adding that there was no any commitment by the Taraba State Government to resettle the displaced persons.
Jika whose houses was burnt and over 400 cows killed in the village of Hainare revealed that 300 families from his village had fled to Cameroon and that their condition was bad at the camp provided by Cameroon authorities.
He said though many of the victims wanted to return to their community but that there was fear of insecurity in areas attacked by the militiamen.
According to him, the police had failed to arrest perpetrators of the attacks and further alleged that the attacks were masterminded by some people in government.
“During the meeting between Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and the Mambilla and Fulani communities, the vice president said perpetrators of the attacks must face justice while those that lost their families and property would be compensated, but to our surprise, up to this time, no action has been taken,” he said.
He further said the Federal Government should take a bold step to bring those involved to justice and also resettle all the victims in their respective communities.
Ambassador Ardo said, as a community leader, he was concerned with the plight of his subjects who were economically crippled, while several others lost their lives and yet nothing was done to bring those behind the crime to justice.
Another victim, Alhaji Aliyu Jibo Ardo, said it was difficult for the victims to return to their settlements because they did not have anything to cater for themselves and their families.
He said the victims wanted to return to their homes but fear was still there because the attackers were still around and were boasting that whatever they did nothing would happen to them.
“We the Fulani community on the Mambilla Plateau had suffered similar attacks in 2002 and nobody was prosecuted. Now in 2017 we faced the worst attacks and killings, yet nobody has been arrested,” Alhaji Aliyu Jibo lamented.
“To our surprise, over 500 families’ houses were burnt down in my community alone but only 40 bundles of zinc was provided by government as relief materials and that number of zinc cannot even roof one house,” Alhaji Aliyu Jibo stated.
He further explained that the state government must show concern and commitment towards resettlement of victims of the crises.
He said, however, that there was relative peace in all the affected areas and that few people have returned, but majority were still in Cameroon and other towns across the state as internally displaced persons.
“It is our prayer that the Federal Government should revisit the case by way of instituting high powered judicial commission of inquiry into the killings in Sardauna Local Government Area, as well as set up a committee to resettle the victims,” he concluded.
Another victim, Malam Yakubu, told Daily Trust on Sunday in Gembu that majority of the victims wanted to return to the community but that they were financially handicapped, adding that they did not have money to buy building materials and repair their houses.
“There is no place like home, but from all indications, the government is not ready to assist victims of the attacks to return to their homes because the relief materials provided by government is nothing to write home about,” he said
He further disclosed that there were more than 12000 refuges across Cameroon and that their condition was so bad that they needed immediate repatriation.
“The Federal and Taraba state governments should take action urgently to attend to the needs of the refuges in Cameroon,” Malam Yakubu said.
Our reporter also discovered that internally displaced persons camps in Gembu and Ngorouje were empty as the displaced persons were said to have moved to residences of relations, friends and good Samaritans in Gembu, Ngorouje and Maisamari towns.
Meanwhile, Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Darius Ishaku, Mr. Bala Dan Abu, has debunked allegations that the state government had not shown concern and commitment towards resettlement of the victims.
He said in an interview with Daily Trust on Sunday that in the wake of the crisis, the state government had sent in relief materials, including building materials, to assist the victims.
“Only last week, the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, went to the Nigeria- Cameroon border and met with refuges in an attempt to bring them back while the state government took all the necessary steps to ensure permanent peace in the area,” Dan Abu said.
The Commissioner of Police in Taraba State, David Akimrini, could not be reached for comment. However, Taraba State police spokesperson, DSP David Misal, said eight persons were arrested in connection with the crises while three suspects were also arrested for allegedly stealing part of the relief materials in Gembu.