Stakeholders proffer solution to killings in Taraba

Stakeholders at the just concluded Peace, Unity, and Reconciliation Summit organised by the Taraba Independent Peace Committee in collaboration with the Kukah Centre, Secretariat of the National Peace Committee, with the support from Taraba State Government and UNESCO advocated the implementation of past recommendations of commissions of inquiry, inclusiveness, tolerance, and political will as a sure way to end conflicts in the state.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the two-day summit with the theme; ‘In search for peace, unity and reconciliation among Taraba communities’ held in Jalingo, Taraba State.

According to the Communique read by the Chairman of the Taraba Independent Peace Committee, Prof. Talla Ngarka
the Summit noted that other than being an asset to the state, the diversity of the state with over 100 ethnic groups has been a source of conflicts which made the state witness violent intergroup conflicts in most of the state’s history.

The summit unanimously called on the Taraba state government to implement all white paper reports on various crises in the state and white paper drafting committees should be inaugurated to also draft white papers for other Commissions of inquiry reports.

This is even as the summit called on the state government to depoliticize traditional institutions to comply fully with the traditions and native laws of the people and devise innovative and modern ways of livestock management to deal with the farmers/herders crisis in the state.

The communique read in part, “Government should resettle internally displaced persons in their homes and ensure that empowerment programmes of government and corporate bodies should center on skills acquisition training to make beneficiaries self-reliant, instead of relying on white-collar jobs.

“Religious leaders should preach and practice peace and unity always and avoid inciting their congregants against other faiths, while traditional rulers should be encouraged to promote community surveillance and local intelligence networking.

“Security agencies should strictly adhere to their rules of engagement in crisis management and the public should volunteer useful information always.

“Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Taraba State Council should be supported to train journalists and social media content providers on peace reporting, while efforts should be made to tackle fake news in the state.” It read.

The Summit commended Governor Agbu Kefas for supporting the hosting of the summit and for establishing the Ministry of Social Justice and Reintegration and called for the creation of the Taraba State Agency for Peace and Conflict Management under the Ministry to strengthen its activities.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the summit was attended by prominent people in the state including; The Aku Uka, HRM. Manu Ishaku Ada Ali, the Kpanti Zing, HRH. Alh. Suleiman Ibrahim Sambo, the Lamdo Gashaka, HRH. Alh. Zubairu Hammangabdo and the representative of UNESCO, The Kukah Centre, and the National Peace Committee amongst others.