By: Terna Chikpa
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) recently displaced by ongoing attacks in Chanchanji Ward of Takum Local Government Area in Taraba State on Wednesday appealed to the government and donor agencies to provide them with relief materials.
Nigerian Tribune reports that Catholic priests in the southern part of Taraba last week staged a peaceful protest over the continued killings and displacement of Christian farmers in the area, particularly in Chanchanji Ward, where over 200 people have reportedly been killed in the ongoing attacks.
Meanwhile, the displaced persons are appealing to governments at all levels to provide them with relief materials and temporary shelter.
A community leader, Mr. Stephen Kajo, said the sustained attacks had left the people traumatised and economically crippled.
“Our communities have been attacked repeatedly since September. Many lives have been lost. Houses were burnt and our farms destroyed. Our people had no option but to run for safety.
“We call on the National Emergency Management Agency, the North East Development Commission and the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency to come to our aid by urgently providing food, temporary shelter materials, medical supplies and other relief items.
“We ran with nothing. We depend on goodwill to eat. Life here is very difficult,” he appealed on behalf of the IDPs.
The displaced residents also urged both the state and federal governments to intensify security measures in the area to halt further killings and enable their safe return to their ancestral homes.
"We respectfully appeal to governments at all levels to strengthen security deployment and take decisive steps to end these attacks. We want protection. We want peace. We want to return home safely,” an IDP leader added.
The displaced persons, however, also blamed the Taraba State Government for allegedly turning a blind eye to the attacks and killings in the area.
“We don’t feel the presence of the government here. Over 200 people have been killed since September last year, but the government is not doing anything to stop the killings,” they alleged.
The residents insisted that urgent humanitarian support and decisive security intervention are critical to restoring normalcy and dignity to the troubled communities.
Also speaking, an elderly farmer, Pa Aondona Hemba, said he lost both his home and his source of livelihood.
“I lost my house and my farm. Everything is gone. I don’t know when we will return. We just want peace in our land,” he lamented.
A youth leader, Mr. Iorliam Tersoo, said fear and uncertainty now define daily life in the camps.
“We are afraid. We need security so that we can go back and rebuild our lives. We cannot continue living like this,” he said.
