Taraba women protest herdsmen killings, harassment of youths

Yesterday, hundreds of Kona women in Taraba State, took to the streets of Jalingo the state capital to protest the killing of their people by suspected Fulani herdsmen and harassment from security agencies. The protest is coming after the killing of eleven people between Sunday and Monday night when suspected armed Fulani militia invaded Tudiri and Janibanibu villages in Ardo-kola Local Government Areas of the state.

The women who started the pretest from Kona village located six kilometers away from the city centre wore black attires and matched across major streets of Jalingo to protest what they called continued attacks on their communities and killings of their husbands and children by armed herdsmen.

One of the protesters, Mrs. Mary Shaukani alleged that rather than going after the herdsmen who had been killing and destroying their homes, security agencies turn to harass and arrest Kona youths in their houses and on the streets.
“Yesterday, soldiers and policemen arrested over seven of our sons who went out defend our people.

“Rather than protect us, security agencies are rather shielding the attackers and arresting our youths. Many of our children are now in the detention of the security agencies. The response time is poor and that is why the crises have killed scores and houses burnt. We want our children to be released and the security agencies should be fair in handling the crises,” she said.

But reacting to the allegations, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP David Misal, said they were yet to receive any complaints of harassment from the women.
“We have not received any complaint from the women regarding the arrest of anyone. In any case, whoever that has been arrested has something to do with the crisis. We can not sit and watch people take laws into their arms. Some of the youths blocked the road and were smashing people’s cars. In such a situation we can not sit and watch them rain mayhem on innocent people,” he said.