By Oladisun Amosun
Lawmaker representing Langtang North in the House of Representatives, Hon. Beni Lar, whose Constituency is currently on fire due to communal clashes has again stressed the dire need for a sustainable mechanism to discourage and intervene in cases of ethnic rivalism to forestall their resultant killings and other forms of carnage, especially as it affects innocent and vulnerable groups.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja on the latest communal clash in the constituency involving the Lyangit and Kunhwang sub-clans in the same local government, Rep Beni Lar described it as the bloodiest so far as cases of attacks and reprisals attack over claims of ownership of communal land had led to many deaths with both communities virtually razed to the ground.
The lawmaker reported that despite efforts at intervention by Traditional institutions and even political leaders in the build up to the mayhem could not nip it in the bud, thereby exposing the ineffectiveness of existing peace-sustaining mechanisms across communities nationwide.
“Unfortunately, in the face of such clashes it is the innocent vulnerable groups such as women, children and the aged that feel the brunt of the carnage most, underscoring the need to effectively check and deal with such incidences, especially by government whose duty is it to ensure safety of lives and property”, she said.
The failure of Traditional Institutions in the various communities nationwide to effectively forestall communal clashes could be traced to the shabby treatment meted out to district heads who are directly placed to intervene at the early brewing stages of such clashes.”
“Many of them are made ineffectual and toothless by the government that mandated them the function of ensuring communal peace, imagine, many are placed on N20, 000 monthly salaries and have no clout among powerful, but interest-vested people who champion such clashes, often spearhead by pecuniary interest.
Rep Beni Lar then called on the Federal Government to have a rethink and re-jig the Peace and Reconciliation Institute by expanding its mandate from research to include effective pre and actual intervention in communal clashes.
Earlier in a motion raised at Thursday’s plenary session on the issue, the House adopted the prayer that NEMA should immediately move into the affected communities and provides succour in terms of food and the basic materials, while the Legislature should come up with laws to deal with such situations.
