….my people under siege – Council Chairman
By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Rampaging bandits on Friday evening attacked and killed 11 people in Yantu and Ussa local government Communities of Taraba State.
The bandits according to locals, attacked and killed nine people in Rubur Ribasi, Nyicwu and Ruwah Communities of Yangtu Special Development Area around 6pm.
Mr Yakubu Tinya, who narrowly escaped the attacked, told our correspondent that the attackers also killed one person at Tukwog Community, along Takum-Manya road.
“They came in numbers to separate Communities around 6pm, and killed anyone on sight. Some people were attacked right on their farms, some on their way back while, some in their houses.
“They attacked me and my two brothers and killed one of us. Some of them are Fulanis but some does not look like Nigerians. They appeared to us at a very close range,” Mr Tinya narrated.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Peter Shamwun, the Ussa local government council chairman who confirmed the attack to our correspondent on Saturday, also raised the alarm that the bandits laid siege along Takum- Ussa road to kill more people.
According to the council chairman,
the bandits also attacked Kpambo Yashe community in Ussa local government and killed one person.
The chairman appealed to President Bola Tinubu, and Governor Agbu Kefas, to urgently draft a team of joint tax force (JTF), comprising the military, police and the Vigilante to flush out the bandits in the area.
“Information available to me now is that, the bandits have lay siege along Takum-Ussa road and other areas around Yantu to kill more people. I do not know why the bandits have decided to concentrate in the area and have been operating freely without being antagonised by the security operatives. From where a man was killed yesterday evening in Ussa to the military barracks in Takum, is not up to a kilometre.
“The continued attack on the people has brought so much food insecurity. My people are been attacked anytime they go to farm. We are at the mercies of bandits, i want both the state and federal government to intensify efforts to flush out the bandits to allow my people farm.
“There has been issues of Fulani bandits in our area but I am suspecting that the ones operating currently in the area are those that have been chased by the military operatives in Zamfara and other states in Nigeria. They have moved to settle in some local governments in Taraba,” the council chairman decried.
However, Taraba State Police command, through the Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi said the incident was still under investigation.
