25 killed in Taraba communal clash

Twenty-five persons have been killed and several others injured in a bloody clash between Shomo and Jole ethnic groups in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State which occurred on Monday.

Penpushing reports that, the Taraba State Police Command Public Relations Officer, David Misal, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, while confirming  said about 100 houses were burnt down during the clash.

The police spokesperson could not immediately ascertain the cause of the conflict,  but  sources from the community said disagreement between two fishing communities  over the ownership of some ancestral fish ponds was responsible for the clash.

Penpushing further reports that, the police authorities confirmed that the conflict had since become an annual occurrence between the Shomo and Jole fishing communities, while s at the time of filing this report, Commissioner of Police  Ahmed Azare, has ordered stationed patrol teams on ground.

Meanwhile, it is recalled that following the incessant clashes between the communities over the ownership of the pond, the State Government,  had to ban fishing activities in the disputed ponds for a period of 10 years but the communities resumed conflicts as soon as the ban was lifted at the return of democracy in 1999.