Dr Agbu Kefas, Taraba state governor, on Sunday, declared a 24-hour curfew on Karim town and its environs in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state.
The curfew followed renewed communal clashes between the Wurkuns and the Karimjos in the LGA, allegedly resulting in the killing of at least 50 people while many houses were burnt on Saturday.
The spokesman for the Taraba State Police Command, Usman Abdullahi, said the crisis started at about 3am on Saturday, adding that the exact casualty figure had yet to be ascertained.
Abdullahi said, “In the last few days, there have been pockets of guerilla attacks in some communities in the area where the Karimjos attack the Wurkuns, and the Wurkuns also attack in return, or the Wurkuns attack the Karimjos, and they also attack in return.”
Imposing a curfew on the LGA on Sunday, the governor directed security agencies to ensure strict compliance.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Yusuf Sanda, also quoted Kefas as directing “all ward heads, village heads, traditional rulers, and stakeholders in Karim Lamido Local Government Area” to take note and ensure compliance.