The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Taraba State on Tuesday described as baseless and misleading the recent claim by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that over 800 Fulani people were killed in Taraba in 2017.
Recall that Sanusi had in an interview with journalists last week alleged that in one weekend, 800 Fulani people were killed on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.
“I personally handed over to the federal government a dossier with the name and pictures of 800 Fulani people slaughtered in Taraba as well name of persons known to have participated in the act of ethnic cleansing but nothing has been done,” Sanusi alleged.
However, the Association in a press statement issued in Jalingo on Tuesday and signed by the CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Dr. Ben Ubeh, the association debunked the claim by the emir and urged him to stop fueling false propaganda and wooing sentiments for his kinsmen who are in actual sense, killing people on a daily basis in some parts of the country.
“The records are there in most of the national dailies that reported the communal clash on the Mambilla last year. NGOs, UNCHR and other international organizations visited the Mambilla in the wake of that crisis, but in all of these the highest number of death recorded from both side was 18.
“How is it possible to manipulate the figures and force all the different agencies to report 18 death figure. Obviously, the 800 Fulani people that were slaughtered according to Sanusi only existed in his imagination,” the statement said.
While calling on the federal government to drop the idea of Cattle colonies, but assist herdsmen to build private Ranches, CAN urged the federal government to look into the plight of the over 10,000 internally displaced persons currently in camps as a result of herdsmen attacks in the state.
The association called on all Nigerians to rise up and condemn the killings currently going on in the country, even as it urged people to be vigilant and pray fervently for peace in the land.
