A high-powered delegation of the Gombe State Government led by the Deputy Governor, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, has visited Kaltungo Chiefdom to broker peace between Fulani herders and Tangale farmers following a recent crisis between the two communities.
The Deputy Governor who decried the crises between the farmers and herders in Lapan, Shongom Local Government Area of the state, said it was barbaric and heartless.
The meeting which took place at the palace of the Mai Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed and Lapan in Shongom LGA followed a fight between two persons over farmland which generated tension and subsequent clashes between the farmers and the herders.
However, the state government’s visit was aimed at drawing the attention of the communities on the need for peaceful coexistence among themselves.
According to the Deputy Governor, the situation is quite lamentable that people who profess God and religion will be found perpetrating this act of wickedness against humanity.
He said, “From the pictures I have seen about the barbaric acts committed in the affected places in Lapan, it is quite unbelievable that those who committed these, claim to know God. Religion teaches us about God and humanity, but where there is no such recognition in our behaviours, we become worse than those who didn’t believe in life in the hereafter”.
While appreciating the Mai Kaltungo for always exhibiting his inclination to peace and unity, Manasseh Jatau vowed that government will not allow the culprits of the clashes go unpunished.
He said, “We will ensure bringing to book everyone found directly or indirectly culpable and ensure they are made to face the wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to others.
“As the Chairman, Appointment, Discipline and Promotion of Traditional Rulers in the state, I vow to remove any traditional ruler(s) found to be involved in instigating, aiding or abating the crisis”, he warned.
Speaking in his palace in Kaltungo Local Government Area and in Lapan, Shongom Local Government Area, the Mai Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed said, the Tangale and the Fulani, (farmers and the herders) in the area have co-existed peacefully for so many years and wondered what came over them to be caught in the web of crises.
He said, the two persons who were purported to have been the genesis of the crises fought and wounded themselves and have been apprehended by the security agencies, wondering why some people took advantage of that to escalate the crisis.
In Kaltungo, the leader of Shongom Local Government Herders, Alhaji Badikko Daudu noted that they were greatly devastated by the incident but stated that since the Mai Kaltungo has always shown them concern as a father, they are ready to obey whatever he directs.
“We have lived in the Chiefdom for so long. Most of us, our parents were born in this place. If we leave this place, where do we go to? We have no intention of relocating from here, especially that we have a father like the Mai Kaltungo who has shown us fatherly love,” he emphasized.
“In Lapan, one of the community leaders, Landa Kalawa, appreciated the visit by the government and the efforts of the Mai Kaltungo for always fostering peace in his chiefdom.
He said, in almost every community, there are people who always allow themselves to be deceived by the devil, thereby creating deep hatred and crisis amongst the people. He prayed to God that something like that will never happen again in the area.
