Stakeholders from Iregwe and Fulani communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau have advised residents of the area to be tolerant and have mutual respect for one another in order to end the incessant killings in their communities.
Some of the stakeholders gave the advice on Friday in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos.
They spoke on the sideline of a two-day training organised for community leaders from the Iregwe by the an NGO, Unique Centre for Peace Building and Trauma Healing.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event was supported by the King Abdulah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dailoque.
NAN also reports that many villages in Iregwe land were recently attacked by gunmen.
Meanwhile, Sunday Abdu, the National President, Iregwe Development Association, said that lack of tolerance and mutual respect for each other’s values made the killings to continue.
Abdu said: “One basic thing we need in ending these killings is tolerance. We need to tolerate one another.
“When you respect the values of your brother and he does same to yours, there will be total peace in our society.
“But our source of confusion today is because there is abuse of rights and values by people.
“So, all we need to have total peace is for people to learn to respect and tolerate one another.”
On his part, Alhaji Umar Dakare, Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Bassa, said the training was timely, noting that peace leads to development.
Dakare also harped on the need for people to develop love for one another, adding that Islam forbids killings.
He said: “Our religion forbids killing. It says when you kill a soul, you have killed the entire world, and when you love one person, you are loving the whole world.
“The killings between Fulani and Iregwe is condemnable and only sincere love can end it.”
The chairman said that most developed countries were moving forward because of peaceful co-existence, but expressed regret that the trend in Nigeria was the reason for its backwardness.
Dakare said: “You hardly hear Americans or Germans killing each other. But for us in Nigeria, it is a norm; killing has become a recurring decimal and this is why we will continue to remain underdeveloped.
“Here in Plateau for instance, government is constructing roads in almost all communities, but we, in Iregwe land, are left out because we refused to live in peace.
“So, if we must develop, we must learn to live together.”
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