Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku
By Timothy Elerewe
The federal government has been called upon to declare a state of emergency in Southern part of Taraba state to restore sanity to the security situation which appeared to have broken down in the area.
The call was made in a press conference addressed by Hajara Love John today in Abuja by a group known as The Southern Taraba Youths Coalition For Peace which warned that unless security improves in the area, next year elections may not hold in Taraba South Senatorial District
The Youth explained that all the five Local Government Councils comprising Taraba South were seriously affected by the insecurity with almost all the towns and villages completely deserted.
“Today we are here to cry out on behalf of the peace loving youths of Southern Taraba that the future of our communities is under serious threat by current ethnic conflicts and the ongoing banditry attacks on defenceless communities
“As we speak, several communities in Southern Taraba are under siege especially in Takum, Ussa and Yangtu Special Development Area due to these sad realities in our land, we are afraid that election may not be conducted in 2023 in Southern Taraba if things continue the way they are going”, the youths emphasized
According to them, it is no longer news that due to Jukun-Tiv crisis, 70% of Jukun and Tiv villages in Wukari and Donga Local Government Areas have been destroyed and deserted.
The Southern Taraba Youths said “currently, there is ongoing ethnic cleansing of Kuteb people in villages in Takum LGA, Ussa LGA and Yangtu Special Development Area by gun wielding bandits. Our people are facing daily attacks from the bandits who use sophisticated weapons to maim, kill and displace thousands”, alleging that “these bandits are responsible for the death of the former Commanding Officer of 93 Battalion, Army Barracks, Takum and his six soldiers in May 2022”.
Hajara continued that since then, the attacks have heightened in frequency and sophistication leaving over 40 Kuteb villages destroyed
She painted a worsening situation in the area where she explained that at the moment, Wukari, Donga, Takum and Lissam towns were now IDP camps due to the ongoing insecurity and banditry that had sent their people out of their villages and farmlands.
She called on the Nigeria media to help them bring the insecurity situation in the area to the attention of the general public, regretting that the government appeared to be indifferent over the crisis.
