The Emir of Umaisha in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Usman Abdullahi, has appealed to the Federal Government to rehabilitate Ebura and Bassa communities which were hit by communal clashes in 2018.
Abdullahi made the appeal on Wednesday in Umaisha, when he received Mr Festus Daudu, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who paid him a courtesy visit.
He recalled that the two communities clashed in 2018 over a land dispute and chieftaincy title, which resulted into the destruction of lives and properties worth millions of naira.
While appreciating the state government for setting up a committee to settle the conflicts, he particularly commended the decision to offer the disputed traditional title of “Aguma” to Bassa, which had calmed the tension in the area.
“The crisis resulted from the insistence of the Bassa community that they deserved a recognized chief.
“Personally, I felt bad because if you are complaining that you don’t have a recognised chief, you don’t have to be violent over that.
“But, we are happy that before the former governor, Tanko Al-Makura, left office, he appointed one of them as a second class chief and this has settled part of the problems.
“The committee set up to resolve the issues is still working, but Bassa community, which was seriously affected by the crisis, has been totally destroyed and its people are yet to return home.
“I want to use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to come to their aid by rehabilitating the community to enable the people pick up the pieces of their lives,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Nuhu Dauda, Chairman, Toto Local Government Area, appreciated Daudu for the visit, and urged him to use his position to
communicate the area’s concerns to the federal government.
He listed some of the concerns to include kidnapping, communal clashes, erosion threats, among others.
Daudu, in a response, advised the communities to embrace peaceful co-existence, noting that development was impossible without it.
He said that his mission was to identify with his people after his elevation, and urged Abdullahi and other traditional leaders to continue to use their offices to sue for peaceful coexistence among the different tribes in their kingdoms. NAN
