Senator Abdulaaziz Nyako has asked warring parties in the communal violence which gripped Mayo Belwa to sheath their swords.
Communal violence, in Mayo-Belwa, over the weekend triggered by reprisals following clashes between farmers and herders in neighbouring, Demsa local government area which spilled into the council, affecting 8 villages had resulted in the death of three persons and displacement of over 3,000 women and Children.
Abdulaaziz, the Senator representing Adamawa Central in the Senate, sued for the warring factions to allow peace to reign, when he met with stakeholders in the council on Tuesday.
Following the senators intervention, the stakeholders agreed to reconvene within seven days with report, detailing those identified as been behind the communal violence which claimed several lives and the destruction of over 100 houses that were completely burnt in the internecine conflict.
Speaking at the meeting which had in attendance the Chairman of Mayo-Belwa, Mohammed Bako, Musa Kallamu, member representing Mayo-Belwa in the state Assembly, heads of all the security agencies in the council, representatives of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, the Muslim Council, Abdulaaziz said his visit was in response to the humanitarian crises and the need to halt further hostilities among the warring factions.
“ If you are at this meeting and you have come with a mindset, satisfied that a Fulani household is destroyed you are the problem.
The same goes for any Fulani man who is happy about the violence and destruction wrought on his neighbor who is not of his ethnic stock. We must move away from these prejudices that expose us to hate the other
person,” he said.
He counselled the parties that the onus to foster peace in the council rest on them, regretting that because of their failure to take proactive measures to forestall the conflicts over 3,000 persons were now refugees in their own land.
“Today, it is your wives and children and relatives that are displaced. The onus of redressing this situation lies with you the stakeholders. The conflict in this council would not have been possible without the involvement and active support of those you present at this meeting. I want you in the meantime to lay down your arms.”
The parties were given seven days to return back to the peace table. Meanwhile, Senator Abdulaaziz who also visited the displaced persons camped at Islamiya Model Nursery and Primary School in Mayo-Belwa, gave N500,000 to camp officials to augment the supply of anti-malarial drugs, paracetamol which camp officials said were unavailable.
Aduno Abubakar, Chairman of the IDP committee set up by local government said 5 camps set up in council with a total IDP population of over 3,000 receiving shelter and protection in the council.
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