Following a series of violent clashes in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, residents of the Munga Dosso community in Taraba State have called on authorities to strictly enforce the anti-open grazing law passed in 2018, stressing that consistent attacks have left them vulnerable and underrepresented.
Speaking at a press briefing in Jalingo on Monday, community youth leader Robert Bukar highlighted the need for decisive action to address escalating tensions between herders and farmers. He emphasized that although the law was enacted under former Governor Darius Ishaku to curb such violence, its implementation has remained inconsistent.
Bukar pointed to recent incidents where armed attacks claimed multiple lives and destroyed properties. “We buried 12 of our people in one day, yet no government official came to sympathize with us—not from the local, state, or federal level,” he said.
While acknowledging the delivery of relief materials, Bukar noted that what the community needed most was government presence, security reinforcement, and justice for the victims. “Relief items are not enough. We wanted to feel seen, supported, and protected in our grief.”
He lamented that in many cases, residents are arrested while perpetrators go unpunished. “In the latest incident, herders caught with firearms were taken into custody, only to be released the next day. This pattern erodes trust in the system.”
The youth leader also urged the state government to bolster security to enable displaced farmers to return to their land safely. He further appealed for a transparent investigation by the recently formed administrative panel tasked with probing the attacks, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.
The community’s call adds pressure on authorities to address long-standing grievances over land use, justice, and rural security—issues that have fueled instability in parts of Taraba and other agrarian regions in Nigeria.
