A leadership conflict that broke out in Taraba State’s Karim Lamido Local Government Area resulted in the deaths of no less than 20 residents and the destruction of their homes.

Due to disagreements over the choice of a local traditional ruler, the Wurkum and Karimjo tribes in the local government started fighting one another.

While the warring tribes had expressed their demands and complaints, the government, according to sources, had started taking action to end the conflict.

According to a broadcast by the BBC Hausa Service, which was seen on Monday, the situation started when Alhaji Abubakar Haruna, who succeeded his father who had governed the Wurkum for 47 years, was given a staff of office.

Although the situation began on Friday night, Wilfred Kwamchi, the head of the Wurkum people globally, assured media that there was now a sense of calm at the local government’s offices.

He regretted, however, that there had been damage in the villages where the Wurkum people had resided, with homes being destroyed and several children being slain.

He said: “Many houses belonging to our people were burnt down and their foodstuffs taken away.
“We cannot say the exact number of people killed, but many lives were lost; about 20,” he alleged.

He said that the administration had sent military and mobile police officers to the region.

“We don’t know what caused this crisis. This is because we have a royal father in the area known as Wurkum District.

“When he died, his son was coronated last Thursday. When he was presented with a staff of office, our neighbours, Karimjo, started burning tyres inside Karim Lamido town. We don’t know why.”

When asked if the Karimjo people were opposing the new ruler’s appointment, he responded, “I don’t know why they would be complaining since that royal stool was never up for grabs with any other tribe in Karim Lamido town.

“The domain is for the Wurkum people. We are appealing to the government; we want to live in peace with everybody.”

We’re marginalised — Karimjo

Kennedy James, the global youth leader for the Karimjo, asserted that they never attacked the Wurkum people and had never engaged in combat with them.

“When the new leader was coronated and came to the town, some of our youths and our leaders went and felicitated him.

“Afterwards, crisis erupted and we lost about 10 of our youths. Security operatives and hunters shot our youths,” he alleged.

When informed that their people were the ones who originally organized a demonstration, he stated that this was because they wanted to air their concerns over purported injustices that had been meted out to them.

“For three consecutive times, leaders were installed but we were not involved. We were thinking our people have been marginalised.

“We are in the proposal and were gazetted to be part of the leadership since during the defunct Gongola State.

“This time around we thought they would install one amongst us; we are not Wurkum, we are agitating for Karim Chiefdom.

“We have always been peace loving, we’ve now stopped our youths from doing anything. We would leave everything to the Almighty.

“If they look for us, we would sit down for reconciliation,” he said.

The Taraba State Police has not yet responded to the event.