The Taraba State Police Command has confirmed the death of one person as a result of the fracas that erupted between two communities in the state.
Apart from the one death that was confirmed, several persons were also said to have suffered various degrees of injuries.
The crisis which occurred in the Nukkai area of Ardo-Kola local government council of the state which the police said was necessitated by a disagreement that erupted during a football match, was as well confirmed to have led to massive destruction of valuables.
Making the confirmation on Thursday in Jalingo, the state capital, the command spokesperson, Abdullahi Usman, said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the council was as well not spared.
According to him, the DPO and his men were also inflicted with various degrees of injuries while trying to restore normalcy to the community
The DPO’s vehicle, he said, was also vandalized, with his revolving light and windscreen shattered in the attack.
According to him, ”this incident started at a football pitch behind the Taraba State Polytechnic, where a disagreement ensued and one of the footballers was killed.
”For peace to reign, the Divisional Police Officer of Ardo-kola local council moved in with his men to ensure the safety of lives and property as the other community members identified the killer of their brother and tried to revenge.
”In an attempt to get elders of the two communities to talk to their youths, the youths started pelting stones at the police van, and in the process, his head got broken, windscreen and resolver light damaged.
”He and his men are currently receiving treatment at the police clinic in Jalingo. For me, it is a case of two brothers who speak the same language (Kona) but live in different settlements,” the police spokesman explained.
At the time of filing this report, several arrests, as made known by him, have been made, adding that, the investigation into the incident, is still ongoing
