THE Chief of Tiv in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Zaki David Gbaa (Ter Bali II) has cried out that vultures are presently eating the corpse of 65 of his subjects, who were killed by herdsmen between Thursday and Saturday last week.
Gbaa disclosed this in Bali on Wednesday, while presenting the list of those killed by herdsmen to the Chairman of Bali Local Government Council, Prince Musa Mahmud, for onward transmission to Governor Darius Ishaku.
He said 49 of those killed in Bornon Kurku are yet to be buried, adding that killings by Fulani herdsmen has displaced 10, 000 of his people, mainly farmers.
The Monarch said, “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 (vultures) 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.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Bali Local Government Council confirmed that 38 Tiv people were killed after the alleged killing of nine Fulani in Benue triggered the crisis in his local government area.
But the state Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal said only 13 persons were killed in herdsmen attacks on villages in Bali LGA.
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