The Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria (KYN) on Tuesday lamented the continuous attacks and killings targeted at Kuteb communities in Takum and Ussa local government areas as well Yangtu Special Development Area.
At a press conference in Jalingo, the National President of KYN, Elder Emmanuel Ukwen said since February last year, dozens of innocent Kuteb people have been killed by the bandits in Takum, Ussa and Yangtu, while thousands have been displaced and rendered homeless.
This is even as the group criticized the state government for failing to visit the people of the affected communities or provide camps and relief materials to cushion their hardships.
“The situation in the affected communities is worrisome. As we speak, about 80 per cent of Kuteb people are farmers and with the current wave of attacks if care is not taken, farming activities may be grounded and farming will be inevitable in Takum, Ussa, and Yangtu areas.
“School activities, social life, and economic activities have been brought to a halt in the affected areas for over one year now. There is no free movement of persons in the affected areas because one could be attacked at any point.
“We wish to appeal to Governor Darius Ishaku to use the remaining one month left for him to end the killings and restore peace in the affected communities,” the group lamented.
On the forthcoming population census, the group appealed to the National Population Commission (NPC) to devise ways to ensure that the affected communities in Takum, Ussa, and Yangtu are not left out during the headcount exercise since they cannot go back to their communities for fear of attacks.
Speaking on the rumoured planned installation of the Ukwe Takum stool which has been vacant since 1996, the group said it will continue to reject any rotational principle being proposed by the state government between the Kuteb
and other ethnic groups.
This is even though they said, they will also reject any attempt by the state government to scrap the Yangtu Special Development Area and officially merge it with the Ussa local government against the wishes of the people who want to remain in the Takum local government area.
“We want to reiterate that the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria has given
the people of Yangtu the right to choose where to belong. We, therefore, wish to state without any contradiction that the Kuteb people will not condone injustice against them.”
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