How change of school name triggered crisis in Taraba community

The trouble that erupted last Thursday in Dananacha following the directive of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State that the name of the secondary school in the community be changed from ‘Government Day Secondary Dananacha’ to ‘Government Day Secondary School Kwararafa’ has left a lot of people homeless. Daily Trust gathered that Tiv students immediately […]

The trouble that erupted last Thursday in Dananacha following the directive of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State that the name of the secondary school in the community be changed from ‘Government Day Secondary Dananacha’ to ‘Government Day Secondary School Kwararafa’ has left a lot of people homeless.

Daily Trust gathered that Tiv students immediately protested the erection of the signboard bearing the new name.

However, the insistence of the Jukun students that the new signboard stays elicited a fight between the two sets of students.

The students were subsequently sent home to prevent the clash from escalating.

But in the night, there was heavy shooting between the Jukuns and Tivs in the town.

It was learnt that both sides mobilized their militia and engaged each other in a shoot-out that lasted several hours. Although nobody was killed, than more 30 houses were burnt down, mostly on the Tiv side.

A resident, Mr. Bulus Jacob, told Daily Trust that the shooting lasted throughout the night and it was a show of how each side was armed.

“Nobody slept that night in this town because of the terrifying sounds of gunshots coming from the Jukun and Tiv sides and lasted throughout the night,” Mr. Jacob said.

The Wukari-Jalingo Federal highway which passes through the town was abandoned by motorists because of gunshots coming from the two directions.

Few days after the incident, fresh hostilities broke out which resulted in the death of three persons and burning of many houses including the house of Ter Tiv Gassol and a private clinic belonging to a Tiv man.

The town is inhabited by the Tiv, Jukun and Hausa/Fulani but each ethnic group occupies a particular section of the town.

It was gathered that the issue of the school’s change of name from Dananacha to Kwararafa started in 2016 and was resisted by Gassol community because the town was then under Gassol Chiefdom.

The Tiv and Jukun people had fought over the same issue three years ago, resulting in the killing of many people and destruction of houses.

When the governor upgraded the status of the town to a chiefdom – Kwararafa Chiefdom, and appointed a Jukun man, Manu John Abgutsokwa, as a 3rd Class chief, the development did not go down well with other communities in the town, including the Tivs who claimed ownership of the town.

Commenting, Mr. George Iorkyaa, who is Tiv, said most of the houses burnt down belonged to the Tivs.

He said the change of name was unnecessary because Kwararafa town is far away from Dananacha and so why should anyone insist that Dananacha must be changed to Kwararafa.

A Jukun man, Mr. Victor Agbo, explained that the area was originally the headquarters of the former Kwararafa Empire before it was relocated to Wukari.

He said the change was in order and was historical and has come to stay.

The chairman of Gassol local government council, Alhaji Yahuza Yau, said the issue of change in the town was politicised.

He however said the area is now calm and soldiers were drafted to the town to prevent further escalation of the crisis.

Yau disclosed that victims who fled the area are now in Sabongida, Tella and Mutum Biyu towns.

He said the change of name does not affect the people personally and wondered why they should fight over that.

Senior Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Bala DanAbu, said it was not true that Governor Ishaku had instructed the ministry of education to change the name of the school from Government Day Secondary School Dananacha to Government Day Secondary School Kwararafa.

Daily Trust also gathered that the governor’ wife, Mrs. Anna Darius, had sent relief materials to the victims through her foundation Hope Afresh.

Observers are however bewildered over the continued hostilities between ignorant members of the two tribes who have failed to even see that Governor Darius Ishaku is Jukun while his wife, Anna Darius, is Tiv and yet they are living peacefully.