Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Following the lingering and deteriorating communal clashes between the Tiv and Jukuns in parts of Taraba, the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has evacuated its members serving in crisis affected communities in southern part of Taraba state.
State Coordinator of the service Mrs Florence Yakuugh who disclosed this while addressing journalists in Jalingo on Friday said that the decision became imperative to provide safety for the corps members as their safety could no longer be guaranteed in those areas.
She disclosed that the service has already redeployed corps members serving outside those crisis affected local government headquarters back to their headquarters.
She appealed to warring factions in the area to embrace peace for development of their communities.
According to her stability will allow our youths corps members to contribute their quarter to nation’s building.
“We have received directives from our national headquarters to redeploy our youth corps members serving in crisis affected communities especially in those interior areas back to local government headquarters.
“We have already redeployed them out of those places and taken them to local government headquarters in Wukari, Donga and Takum for their safety.
” We are appealing to the warring factions to embrace peace and allow development of their communities. NYSC is a unifying institution and Corp members can only contribute meaningfully when there is peace in their host communities.
” So we are appealing to the warring factions to give our youth corps members the opportunity to serve and to achieve the goal of nation building”.
The NYSC coordinator enjoined those local government areas that are located across rivers to acquire ‘life jackets’ for the safety of corps members posted to those areas as some of them were not conversant with crossing large volume of water.
Our correspondent recall that the communal crisis that erupted in the southern part of Taraba between Tiv and Jukun has lead to lost of many lives and property and the recent closure of Federal University Wukari after students of the institution were killed in cold blood by tribal militias.