At least 20 people have been killed after clashes broke out on Sunday between the Wurkunawa and Karimjo ethnic groups in the Karim Lamido local government of Taraba state, according to a report. bbc hausa report.
The fight followed the installation of a new monarch, Yakubu Abubakar, by the state’s governor, Darius Ishaku. Mr. Abubakar is from the Wurkunawa tribe.
The report says that members of the Wurkunawa and Karimjo ethnic groups suffered casualties.
A Wurkunawa representative, Wilfred Habuba-Yambakam, told the BBC that after the installation of the new monarch, people from the Karimjo tribes started burning buildings and shops belonging to the Wurkam people.
“There are still problems in the local areas where the Wurkanawa are being attacked by the Karimjo people. We are witnessing relative peace in the main city, but those in the villages are still being attacked,” he said.
Mr. Habuba-Yamkam said that he has learned that security agencies have been dispatched to the affected areas.
He claimed that the throne belonged to the Wurkanawa people and that never a situation called for competition.
But the Karimjo people, represented by Kennedy James, said no attack was directed at the Wurkanawa people.
“We don’t attack them (the Wurkanawa) because we don’t have any problems with them. When the new monarch was installed, our elders paid homage to him. It was after his coronation that some problems began to arise. Ten of our people were killed in this attack, and we believe they were killed by police and self-defense members,” he said.
James admitted that they protested the monarch’s installation, but did not attack anyone.
“We are also part of this area. So far three monarchs have settled in this area, but none were from our tribe. We have a stake in this because we also have the best traditional rulers, but none were elected and installed. We believe that we are being discriminated against. We protested not because the new monarch was crowned but because we wanted to send a message,” he said.
Taraba state police spokesman Abdullahi Usman did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him by a Newslodge reporter about the killings.