National President of the apex socio-cultural and political organisation of the jukun people Jukun Development Association of Nigeria, Chief Bako Benjamin has faulted the claim by the National President of Kuteb Yatso Comrade Emmanuel Ukwen, who claimed that the Vacant Ukwe Takum Stool is the Cause Of Unrest in Takum, Ussa LG, Yangtu Devt Area.
At the press conference in Jalingo on Monday, Comrade Emmanuel Ukwen has alleged that the persistent unrest in the two local governments of Takum, Ussa and Yangtu Development Area of Taraba State is attributed to the ungoverned tribal space created by the vacuum of the Ukwe Takum stool for over Twelve years.
Reacting to the allegation in an exclusive Interview with Taraba News, Chief Bako said, the claim by the president is baseless, not important, dangerous, and lacking no iota evidence whatsoever. President Bako challenged the KYN president to show evidence that link the vacant stood with the killing in these areas that has been ongoing for over 4 years now.
Chief Bako said according to Police, newspaper reports and several press statements issued by KYN itself has consistently pointed accusations fingers at the Fulani herders, and wondered why the sudden U-turn.
Chief Bako said the problem of Farmers and herders is a national problem that has defied all solutions. "Herders and farmers crisis is a national problem, we have these problems in Zamfara, Sokoto, Benue, Nassarawa in North Centre and North West , even in the southern part of this country, and even in Yoruba land where I have stayed for many years. Attributing it to the Chieftaincy issue in Takum is baseless and untrue"
According to Chief Bako, it is wrong for the President to use baseless accusation in trying to solve the current problem saying that this approach adopted by the President of Kuteb Yanso can only plunge the region into more crisis than solving the current problem at hand he said "You can't solve the Crisis in Southern Taraba with False accusations, all that the Kuteb people need to do is collaboration with their brothers in the region and also trying to build a United front and team up with their other brothers in the southern Taraba to fight and confront a common enemy and not trying to further divide the people with baseless and unsubstantiated allegations"
According to him, the killing is not only a threat to the Kuteb people but the entire southern Taraba, but the Kuteb elites has not only failed to forge a United front to liberate their own people, but unfortunately abandoned their own people in the hands of a few renegade uncontrollable youths to completely destroy the land, preferring to point accusing fingers from far away.
Chief Bako said its strategically and militarily foolish for any tribe no matter how powerful to attempt to open multiple battleground on two fronts simultaneously and expect to win.
He insisted that the persistent crisis in Kuteb land has nothing to do with Takum Chieftaincy issue, but a destructive Fulani land grabbing marauders on one side and cattle rustling or stealing of Fulani cows and waylaying travelling Fulani or people that look like them on the other side.
"How would you mobilize a strategic defence and revenge on an unknown arm bandits with no fix address? How would you plot and defeat an unknown gorilla attackers? Without a united front, it's an unwinnable war without end" He said
Bako said Mr Emmanuel Ukwen is completely on his own with that reckless statement because majority of the Kuteb leaders and Youths I have personally spoken with have condemned his sweeping statement that attempts to throw caution into the wind despite glaring evidences.
Chief Bako assured that everywhere around the country, Chieftaincy and land issues are usually trashed and concluded in the court of law without disturbing anyone. But why should our own case be different?
"We mustn't continually plunge our communities into crisis and destruction because someone wants to be king over us. If you feel strongly about any issue concerning Chieftaincy or land ,get good lawyers and go to court. If you have a good case you win and save our people and land from destruction"
Chief Bako advise that Let the leaders approach the Court if they have a case in the current Chieftaincy problem of Takum, saying the court is the best option to resolve the problem not on the pages of News paper
" In Yoruba land where I stay, what is been practice is that if any land of locality have problem with Chieftaincy and kingship, he approaches the cause and the court will look at the merit of the case and give judgement according to the law, this should be my expectations from my Kuteb brother not rasing baseless accusation"
On the accusation by the KYN president that some powerful self- serving demi-gods were bent on punishing innocent people based on the grand design to rob them of their traditional Stool by installing a non-Kuteb person as the Ukwe Takum; Bako said obviously the President is referring to the elder state man Gen TY Danjuma, he described the statement as unfortunate, according to him General TY is a national figure who has done so much for the people of Southern Taraba, and Taraba as a whole, and can not be associated with ordinary Chieftaincy issue of Takum
The KYN president has alleged that “This allegation is borne out on the unveiled plan to install a Chamba man as Ukwe Takum, come December, 2023. There is also clandestine plan to facilitate a fraudulent Bill to be passed into Law on the Ukwe Takum Stool against the existing Customs and Traditions of the Stool.
“Furthermore, we want to draw to public attention the fact that the same fraudulent and kangaroo method was used to formulate the 1975 Gazette that has resulted to the large scale conflicts in the area" KYN President said at the Press conference.
" Associating General TY Danjuma to the Takum chiefdom is very unfortunate, I don't think the President understand the weight of his statement, Gen TY Danjuma is national figure who has done a lot for his people and the national at large, the statement by the president is reckless and disobedient, the President need to retract his statement and send and unreserved apology to the elder state man, TY is to bigger to descend too low to the issues of Takum chiefdom" Bako said.
Chief Benjamin Bako said the Statement by the President of KYN does not represent the view of the generality of the Kuteb people, and even the Jukun people, " We all have a shared destiny, we must come together in a round table to look at all the issue, not tit for tat, also a problem of Cattle rustling also we must look at the issue holistically, we can't allow any body to flog us into crisis again, we have enough in our hands already" Bako concluded
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