Group tasks Osinbajo on Taraba massacre

The group, in a letter sent to Prof. Osinbajo, has threatened to stage a nationwide protest if justice and necessary action is not taken on the incident where it was reported that over 50 persons were killed while 120 houses were razed in the attacks on June 18, 2017.

According to the group, the attack which was targeted at the herdsmen by the indigenes also saw over 200 cows when gunmen who invaded several villages and settlements occupied by the Fulani people.

ALSO READ: "Fulani Herdsmen Clash: Normalcy returns to Mambilla Plateau"

The Executive Director of the SHAC, Comrade Abubakar Ibrahim, in a statement issued in Kaduna State after its general meeting, condemned the senseless killings in the Mambilla Plateau and ordered reinforcement of security in the area to avert further loss of life.

Ibrahim who acknowledged the acting President's prompt reaction by setting up a panel of inquiry to unravel the root cause of the attack added that more action is needed to tackle the issue.

Part of the letter sent to Osinbajo reads:

“We are at pains to bring to your attention the need to go beyond these initial reactions from Your Excellency since we know the demands of managing the affairs of a country as complex as Nigeria could soon have the tragic incident on the Mambilla Plateau pushed into irrelevance until another rude awakening exposes the culture of ethno-religious intolerance that has become ingrained in our national psyche having been actively promoted by some state actors.

The Fulani communities in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State have called for the Acting President's intervention in the wake of the massacre.

In a nation that is being ravaged by sponsored violence by highly placed persons, the plight of these communities may not merit special attention but the concerns they have expressed about the attacks against them being an act of genocide calls for a different approach in addressing the Mambilla Massacre.

It is a development that can complicate matters for Nigeria before the International Criminal Court since indifference from the Federal Government would be construed as an acquiescence with a pogrom.

A further imperative to investigate the allegation of genocide in Mambilla, Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba state is the domino effect that could result if nothing is done.”

The group’s director said if the attack is allowed left uninvestigated, it would spell future disaster for the country as ethnic cleansing could become a trend that eventually compromises the corporate integrity of the country.

ALSO READ: "Mambilla Crisis: NGO urges FG to deploy more security personnel to area"

Continuing, Ibrahim said:

"Your Excellency the Acting President, our prayers are, therefore, that:

The attention of the nation and the entire world should be focused on what happened on the Mambilla Plateau as a way of building the consensus that ensures this does not happen anywhere else in Nigeria ever again.

An investigation should be ordered into what happened to identify those that should be punished for this crime."