Crisis In Kuteb Communities After Masquerade Beats Up Pastor In Ussa

Two Kuteb communities in Ussa Local Government area  of Taraba state have engulfed in fresh crisis after a pastor was said to have been beaten up by some masquerades in the area. 

Taraba Truth and Facts gathered that trouble starred on Wednesday when a pastor was said to have been accosted and beaten up along the road from Lissam  to Rufu by some masquerades. 

However on Thursday night the LISSAM youths identified the masquerades to be from Rufu community.

Taraba Truth and Facts gathered that the youths launched a reprisal attack launched on  Rufu  settlement with heavy gunshots exchanged between the two communities till early hours of Friday.

Eyewitnesses said  the crisis left yet to be  confirmed numbers of casualties while many others were injured. 

Also buildings  and properties including foodstuff worth millions of naira were also destroyed. 

Reacting to the development, a  former Chairman of Ussa Local Government Hon Abarshi Musa who is currently a Special Adviser to the governor of Taraba state Arc Dairus Dickson Ishaku expressed sadness over the incident. 

He said it is very unfortunate that an issue which would have been resolved by the two communities who are clearly brothers was allowed to escalate to the extent that brothers had to take up arms against each other. He described the incident as a  very sad and unacceptable development. 

Security operatives have since  been drafted to the area and relative  peace was said to have been restored. 

All effort to reach the local council chairman proved abortive as he was said to be in a security meeting as at time of filling this report.