ANOTHER MAYHEM IN WUKARI : Taraba on fire!

Wukari, the bustling community south of Taraba, was on Friday engulfed in another religious crisis with about 30 people dead, scores of people injured and 32 houses razed. The state’s police command, which confirmed the incident said it had arrested at least 40 persons in connection with the violence. Residents told Sunday Sun that the violence started while some mourners were in procession for the funeral rites of a Jukun chief on Friday afternoon.
It was learnt that some Muslim faithful who were preparing for the Friday Juma’at prayer were allegedly angered by the purported obstruction the movement of the mourners caused them. Our source said a verbal confrontation ensued and within minutes it snowballed into violence. Sunday Sun learnt that no fewer than 10 people died on the spot while some young men allegedly seized the opportunity of the chaotic situation to ventilate their anger on the Muslim and Jukun residents. Many of the residents were said to have fled into the bush for safety, even as some were reportedly killed while attempting to flee the troubled town.
“It was a sad day as young men came out with guns and machetes, killing, maiming and burning houses and properties,” Buba Adamu, a resident of Jalingo, who fled Wukari as soon as the violence started, told Sunday Sun. Wukari, headquarters of Wukari Local Government Area, is about 200 kilometres away from Jalingo, capital of Taraba State.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Joseph Kwaji, who confirmed the incident, told Sunday Sun that the violence was regretable, even as he assured that the police were in full control. “When the incident occurred, the CP deployed some policemen to the town to ensure the situation is brought under control and the commissioner of police immediately deployed a detachment of policemen tfrom neighbouring police divisions to bring the situation under control, and I can assure you we are in full control now. Right now (yesterday afternoon), the CP is in Wukari. About 30 died and 32 houses were set ablaze. We have also arrested 40 suspects in connection with the crisis,” the PPRO disclosed.
He also said a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on the town to stop the violence from escalating. “Normalcy is gradually returning though, there is no movement because of the 24 hours curfew in the town now, just to ensure the violence does not spread further.” A senior police source said the Friday crisis was a product of long animosity between the Christian-dominated Jukun residents and the Muslim community in the town.
Wukari had witnessed similar crisis late February when a mere argument between two football enthusiasts snowballed into an orgy of violence, leaving no fewer than five people dead, while about 300 houses were burnt. Government had also imposed 24 hours curfew and later reviewed it from 10 pm-6am daily. The state government equally constituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the February crisis and a similar crisis at Ibbi. Ironically, the committee was yet to submit its report when another violence broke out on Friday.