A Tiv monarch in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Zaki David Gbaa (Ter Bali II) has expressed the agony of having 65 subjects hacked to death by suspected killer herdsmen between Thursday and Saturday last week.
An emotional Gbaa further revealed that their corpses which are yet to buried are currently being eaten up by vultures in Bornon Kurku.
According to PUNCH, the monarch made the statement during the formal presentation of the list of the deceased to Chairman of Bali Local Government Council, Prince Musa Mahmud, to be delivered to Governor Darius Ishaku.
“My heart bleeds! Corpses of 49 of my subjects killed in Bornon Kurku are yet to be buried. As I speak, their corpses are being eaten by birds in the area.
“It is unfortunate that the problem started in Benue State where some Fulani people were killed by hoodlums and the Fulani in Bali Local Government Area in Taraba started killing my people.
“We are not from Benue and we know nothing about the killing of Fulani in Katsina-Ala Local Government in far away Benue State as being alleged. So, why are we being killed for something we know nothing about?
“This is rainy season and nearly 10,000 people, mainly farmers, have been displaced. This is an omen of an impending hunger,” he said.
Bemoaning the crisis, the Bali Local Government Council Chairman explained that the conflict was sparked when nine Fulani herdsmen were allegedly murdered.
Mahmud stated that the reprisal attack by the Fulani resulted in the killing of the 38 Tiv people in the Taraba community.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal, told journalists that only 13 persons were killed in attacks on villages in Bali LGA.
