The Nasarawa State Government has appealed to residents of Karmo community in Toto Local Government Area to remain calm and not to take the law into their own hands, following a farmer-herder clash that claimed lives and left the community in fear.
The Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Dr Labaran Magaji, SAN, made the appeal on Saturday in Karmo community, Toto LGA, when he visited to commiserate with families of the victims.
Magaji, while condemning the attack that claimed lives, appealed to the people of the affected area to remain calm, assuring them that the government was fully on top of the situation.
He described the clash as avoidable and the reprisal that followed as very unnecessary, noting that the deaths were painful to the entire community.
“As a son of the soil, my own community has been ravaged by skirmishes, leading to the death of some of our brothers and sisters. Those deaths were really very painful to us. It was a clash that was actually avoidable, between farmers and herders.
“I am here to convey the message of Gov. Abdullahi Sule, a peacemaker par excellence, and the state Government to the victims’ families.
“As I speak with you, the Chairman of Toto Local Government and the Chief Security Officer of the local government are already holding a peace meeting with all the affected parties right now,” he said.
He added that the governor, being proactive, had already dispatched a high-level team to ascertain the extent of what happened and determine the kind of succour the government would bring to those directly affected.
He called on well-meaning citizens to support the victims, stressing that the moment called for humanitarian support, not politics.
Magaji, on behalf of the Matwalle Empowerment and Development Foundation, donated 400 bags of rice and a token sum of N1 million to the affected persons.
“It is not the amount, it is not the quantity, but the spirit. What we are giving has nothing to do with politics.
Everybody directly affected should be able to benefit from it irrespective of political parties; what we are doing is service to humanity,” he said.
He urged security agencies to continue to sustain security support to the people of the area so that the crisis would never recur.
In his remarks, the community leader, Madakin Karmo, Sala Maikasuwa, commended the SSG and Gov. Sule for identifying with the community in their trying moment, noting that what happened should be accepted as an act of God.
Also speaking, the Administrator of Gadabuke Area Administrative Council, Mr Isa Habis Aboki, while condemning the attack that led to the death of community members, appealed to the youths to remain calm but not to take the law into their hands.
“We appeal to them to calm down; they should stop blocking the road. They should not engage in reprisal attacks because it can only worsen the situation.
Aboki expressed hope that the peace meeting called by the Toto Council chairman, Ahmed Baba Yahaya, would restore calm and peace between herders and farmers in the area.
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