Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (APC), who represents Taraba Southern Senatorial District, has confirmed that terrorists killed over 40 people in Taraba State’s southern part during the Sallah break.

Mr. Emmanuel stated this during his plenary speech on Wednesday.
He claimed that the assailants entered his constituency on motorbikes known as Okada and killed people, including soldiers and police officers who had been dispatched to prevent the attack.

Danjuma Shiddi, a member of the Taraba State House of Representatives representing the Wukari/Ibi Federal Constituency, confirmed this information during the plenary on Wednesday.

Shiddi claimed that the bandits razed the village, maiming and displacing hundreds of locals.

He claimed that bandits had attacked many Takum communities, the most recent being the Tuesday attack on Tati village, which killed six soldiers and a police officer.

Similarly, the state police command has confirmed that an army officer, Lt Col Eminike, is missing, while six soldiers and a mobile police officer have always been killed during a clash between Kutep and Fulani herdsmen at Tarti in the state’s Takum Local Government Area.

On Wednesday, DSP Usman Abdullahi revealed this to the Daily Trust in Jalingo. Mr Eminike, he said, was the Commander in charge of operations in the troubled area.

He stated that the murder occurred one month after three police officers were killed in Takum during a clash between Kutep and Jukun during Kutep’s annual cultural festival.

Abdullahi claimed that the soldiers and mobile policeman were killed by Kutep and Fulani militia.

According to Abdullahi, militia from both sides have been fighting for weeks, and the situation worsened on Tuesday, prompting the deployment of more soldiers and police officers.

However, he had no way of determine the number of people killed during the clash.

Meanwhile, Senate President Ahmad Lawan has urged Nigerians to continue assisting the military by providing motivation and information to help them combat insecurity in the country.

The House of Representatives also directed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to deploy more personnel to secure Takum LGA and adjoining Taraba State neighbourhoods besieged by bandits.

It also urged intelligence agencies to track down bandit sponsors and the National Emergency Management Agency to assist members of affected communities.