BEVERLY HILLS, January 16, (THEWILL) – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Taraba State has described the claim by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that over 800 Fulani people were killed in Taraba last year, as outright false.

THEWILL recalls that Sanusi had in an interview with journalists, over the weekend, alleged that 800 Fulani people were killed on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.

“I personally handed over to the Federal Government a dossier with the name and pictures of 800 Fulani people slaughtered in Taraba as well name of persons known to have participated in the act of ethnic cleansing but nothing has been done,” Sanusi claimed.

But CAN, in a press statement issued in Jalingo on Tuesday and signed by the CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Dr. Ben Ubeh, debunked the claim by the Emir.

It urged him to stop fueling false propaganda and wooing sentiments for his kinsmen who it said were in actual sense, killing people on a daily basis in some parts of the country.

“The records are there in most of the national dailies that reported the communal clash on the Mambilla last year. NGOs, UNCHR and other international organizations visited the Mambilla in the wake of that crisis, but in all of these the highest number of death recorded from both side was 18,” CAN stated.

“How is it possible to manipulate the figures and force all the different agencies to report 18 death figure. Obviously, the 800 Fulani people that were slaughtered according to Sanusi only existed in his imagination.”

CAN also urged the Federal Government to look into the plight of the over 10,000 internally displaced persons currently in camps as a result of herdsmen attacks in the state.

The association also called on the Federal Government to drop the idea of Cattle colonies, but said it should assist herdsmen to build private Ranches.