Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo

At least nine persons are allegedly killed in Takum town, Takum local government area of Taraba State on Tuesday, as irate Jukun youths attack other residents.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, DSP David Misal who confirmed the development, however, said he could only confirm the deaths of two people in the incident.

“One person was killed on the farm which is under dispute this morning and some youths in Takum attacked and killed someone allegedly a relation to the people who are in dispute over the said parcel of land with the slain man on a farmland in what look like a reprisal.

“The land matter has been in court and two months ago a relation of the person killed on the same land today was killed on the same farm. but we have since brought the situation under control,” he said.

Takum is the home town of Governor Darius Ishaku who turned 65 years today Tuesday.

Multiple sources in Takum, however, said the trouble started on Tuesday morning when a Jukun man was killed on his farm along Takum-Wukari road and irate Jukun youths in Takum went on a rampage, attacking and killing at least eight people in the town, all of them of Tiv extraction.

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According to Mr. Nathaniel Jato in a telephone interview with our correspondent said “we counted at least eight dead bodies around General hospital Junction and Zenith Bank around the Wukari roundabout.

“We were told that many people were killed around Rimi Primary school area, but there is tension, so we can’t go there.

“The Caretaker Chairman of Takum Local Government Council, Hon. Shiban Tikari has assured us that the situation will not escalate, but I am afraid the situation might degenerate if adequate security measures are not put in place,” he lamented.

Jato who said there was a threat that their houses would be attacked in the night called on Governor Darius Ishaku and security authorities to quickly restore peace in the area to pave way for proper investigation into the matter.

There has been growing hostilities between the Tiv and Jukuns in the southern parts of the state especially in Wukari and constant fears that the situation could spiral to other parts of the zone.

Our correspondent reports that this is coming as Governor Darius Ishaku, who turned 65 years old on Tuesday, had cancelled all forms of celebration to commiserate with the victims of crisis in the state and had called on the people to work together to give peace a chance so that there could be development.