No fever than 100 persons have been massacred and 59 villages sacked within the last 12 months in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State by gunmen allegedly identified as herders.
President General Kuteb World Wide, Emmanuel Ukwen, who spoke Thursday on the recent attacks in some Kuteb Communities in Takum and the latest attack on Tuesday claiming 3 lives, lamented the wanton killings of innocent people and destruction of properties worth hundreds of millions of naira.
According to Ukwen, the “killings became pronounce in the past few months as over 100persons have been killed within 12months, the latest being the attack of Tuesday where 3 of our people were butchered to death by these marauding herders.
” The Killings began when a suspected herder took his cattle into one of our brothers farm, our brother accosted the herder who in turn drew out his matchet and attacked him. Our brother died as we were taking him to the hospital. Since then, the herders have been attacking from one village to the other. As we speak atleast 59 villages have been sacked.” Ukwen revealed.
Investigations revealed that the following villages have come under heavy attacks with many villagers loosing their lives and properties, Tati, Fawen
Simta, Bassan, Muji 1, Muji 2, Tukog
, Tati, Kumbo,Ucha, Nyido, Rimamnyang nyido, Kwentam 1 Lagos, Kwentam, Rimamndeyati, Alaha, Kpambo puri, Ripaenchin, Urerimam, Kpamshibe, Pangtso, Rubur Nyim (Jenuwa Kogi), Rikwenboi (Kwari), Acha Nyim, Sati Tsingnya, Rikwentwen, Rikwenmbakun
Fikyu Nyim, Fikyu Ndukwe,Rikwentumum
,Kando, Kijwaen, Kongkaen, Sik and Kakum
Others are Mbiya 1, Mbiya 2, Tamiya, Rikumcwo, Waeshong Rufu, Lumpa, Mbiya, Kabsi, Bura, Jwunyim, Waesi, Shienda (Kpambo yashe).
Also hit by the wave of the ruthless invasion are Acha sabka, Mzunki, Jenuwa rikya, Jenuwa nyifiye, Jenuwa ribasi, Jenuwa ruwa, Rukur, Urerimam, Utobrimam,Titih, Kutika, Fangta, Paenko and Fukrum.
Speaking with one of the villagers who survived the attack in Bura, Takum local Government but pleaded anonymity alleged “that the gunmen usually come in the night in their numbers armed with dangerous weapons. There is an Army barrack here in Takum but it seems they have been overwhelmed. The IDP camps have been displaced. As I speak with you now there are no IDP camps in Takum, the gunmen have invaded and scattered all of them”
Confirming the situation in Takum, the Police Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi maintained that ” there is security challenge in Takum but the Commissioner of Police is on top of the matter as our men have been mobilized to the affected areas.”
The Taraba PPRO however insisted that the police were never overwhelmed and that there are “no IDP camps in Takum because most of the affected persons are farmers who left IDP camps for their farms and not that they were attacked by gunmen.”
The Police Spokesman had earlier confirmed the number of deaths in Tuesday’s attack in Kunkwa village of Yangtu Special Development Area as 3.
The victims, whose names were given as Rimamskep Atenji, Andekwab Ashasim and ElKannah Akyara, were reportedly killed by the bandits on their way to the farm.
Stakeholders in Takum, Ussa and Yangtu who pleaded anonymity maintained that the Federal Government should redouble efforts through deployment of more troops to arrest the situation and ensure lasting peace.