‘Bandawa is bleeding’, Taraba community laments over incessant killings

The Bandawa community of Karim-Lamido LGA in Taraba, under the umbrella of Bandawa Development Association, has called on Governor Agbu Kefas to mobilise security to intervene in the continued killings of their people by killer herders.

The community in an appeal letter to the governor dated Friday, the 1 August 2025, and signed by the community’s national president and secretary, Mathias Manyia and Ishaya Peter, accused the Fulani herdsmen of ethnic cleansing against the peace-loving tribe of Bandawa in the Karim-Lamido LGA, calling on Governor Agbu Kefas and the federal government to intervene and save the people from being erased by the Fulanis.

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“On behalf of the Bandawa community of Karim- Lamido LGA in Taraba state, we wish to appeal to Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene in the daily killings of our people by the Fulanis for a crime we did not commit. Bandawa are peace-loving people and do not wish to deviate from that to violence.

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“We wish to inform His Excellency that since April 2025, herdsmen have cultivated the habit of grazing into farmlands grown with crops, and any attempt to resist the destruction of the crops by the Bandawa people has always led to killings.

“In May 2025, the commissioner of police called for a security meeting between Bandawa stakeholders and the Fulanis, but the Fulanis refused to honour the meeting. Even though the Taraba State Chairman of Miyetti Allah, Alh. Yau Ibrahim signed and vowed that there wouldn’t be any attack by Fulanis. Unfortunately, sir, within the same week, Fulani herdsmen attacked the Munga community and killed several people.

“We wish His Excellency to direct the security to arrest and prosecute Ardo Baka Tashi and Tadido Shehu. The duo are the two architects of unrest and the continued killings in Karim- Lamido LGA.

“We wish to appeal for the deployment of security with constant surveillance to avoid further attacks the Bandawa community.“