Taraba Lawmaker Calls For Calm After Fresh Attack Claims Three Lives
Taraba Lawmaker Calls for Calm After Fresh Attack Claims Three Lives The member representing Karim Lamido, Ardo-Kola and Lau Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Audu Lauya, has condemned the violent attack that erupted in Gwomu community of Bikwin Ward in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, leaving at least three people dead and several villages destroyed. The latest violence, which reportedly escalated on Thursday, affected the communities of Bobbo, Weyam and Bakau in the Gwomu Bayan Dutse axis, where homes were razed and hundreds of residents forced to flee to neighbouring communities, including Bambuka, Dadiya, Loh and Panya, in search of safety. Reacting to the incident, Lauya described the attack as “deeply saddening” and extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones, as well as sympathy to residents displaced by the violence. He called on security agencies to immediately restore peace in the affected communities, apprehend those responsible for the attack and ensure they are brought to justice. The lawmaker also urged the Federal and Taraba State governments, alongside relevant emergency agencies, to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to displaced families whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed during the violence. Appealing for restraint, Lauya warned residents against carrying out reprisals, stressing that retaliatory attacks would only deepen the crisis and worsen the hardship facing communities in the area.
He emphasised that dialogue, cooperation and peaceful coexistence among residents remain the most effective path to achieving lasting peace in Karim Lamido and other conflict-prone parts of the state.
Lauya further pledged to work with the Taraba State Government, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders to support efforts aimed at restoring normalcy and preventing further violence in the affected communities. Residents, however, expressed concern over what they described as the delayed response of security personnel, alleging that there was little or no visible security presence from the onset of the attack through the following morning. They warned that the absence of timely intervention contributed to the scale of destruction and displacement recorded during the incident. The latest attack underscores the recurring security challenges in parts of Taraba State, where clashes involving suspected herders and farming communities have continued to claim lives, destroy property and displace residents despite repeated calls for stronger security measures.
