Forum of Religious and Traditional Leaders, mostly from the southern part of Taraba State, has condemned in strong terms frequent clashes between farmers and herders, and other ethno-religious clashes in the state.
Rising from a two day meeting held at St. Borromeo’s Pastoral Centre in Jalingo, the forum called on government at all levels to draw on their statutory roles to ensure that laws guiding land use were always implemented.
It called on the Taraba State government to be proactive in implementing all resolutions of previous committees’ reports, particularly the Taraba/Benue joint committee report to check frequent border crisis between the two states.
Chairman of the forum and Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, the Most Rev. Dr. Charles Hammawa in a communiqué signed by heads of churches, traditional and community leaders from southern part of the state, called on government and community leaders to ensure that farmers and herdsmen coexist peacefully to avoid clashes.
Part of the communiqué read; “The culture of religious tolerance should be promoted to ensure mutual respect for other people’s religion by all, in addition to a synergy of efforts by both religious and community leaders.
“The political class should ensure fairness in the distribution of political appointments and sharing of dividends of democracy, to avoid other groups crying of marginalization which often result to violent clashes,” the communiqué read.
The communique called for neutrality on the part of traditional leaders and urged them to live above board and ensure community-policing in their areas to check activities of criminals in their domains.
The forum identified incessant destruction of crops and farmlands by herders as another major factor of violent clashes in the state and called for restraints.
Earlier during the meeting, the forum called on government to expedite action on the return of the displaced people who fled the crisis from central and southern parts of the state to continue their normal lives.
Rising from a two day meeting held at St. Borromeo’s Pastoral Centre in Jalingo, the forum called on government at all levels to draw on their statutory roles to ensure that laws guiding land use were always implemented.
It called on the Taraba State government to be proactive in implementing all resolutions of previous committees’ reports, particularly the Taraba/Benue joint committee report to check frequent border crisis between the two states.
Chairman of the forum and Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, the Most Rev. Dr. Charles Hammawa in a communiqué signed by heads of churches, traditional and community leaders from southern part of the state, called on government and community leaders to ensure that farmers and herdsmen coexist peacefully to avoid clashes.
Part of the communiqué read; “The culture of religious tolerance should be promoted to ensure mutual respect for other people’s religion by all, in addition to a synergy of efforts by both religious and community leaders.
“The political class should ensure fairness in the distribution of political appointments and sharing of dividends of democracy, to avoid other groups crying of marginalization which often result to violent clashes,” the communiqué read.
The communique called for neutrality on the part of traditional leaders and urged them to live above board and ensure community-policing in their areas to check activities of criminals in their domains.
The forum identified incessant destruction of crops and farmlands by herders as another major factor of violent clashes in the state and called for restraints.
Earlier during the meeting, the forum called on government to expedite action on the return of the displaced people who fled the crisis from central and southern parts of the state to continue their normal lives.
- Daily Trust
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