The death toll from the current attacks in Taraba State has risen to 18, as armed tribal militias and suspected herdsmen continue to unleash terror on residents in some parts of the state.
Tribal militias, suspected to be Jukun youths, in the early hours of Monday ambushed and killed seven farmers on their way to the farm around the Wukari-Donga border near Rafinkada.
On Monday night, armed herdsmen killed eleven persons when they attacked villages around Jalingo and Ardo Kola metropolis for the second time in two days.
A security officer who participated in the evacuation of the dead bodies for burial confided in BusinessDay that the men of the Nigeria Police attached to Wukari division recovered and buried seven corpses.
While the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP David Misal who confirmed the incident said only one person was killed, the caretaker Chairman of Donga Local Government Council, Nashuka Ipeyen, in whose domain the attack took place, said he was not aware of such an incident.
“I am not aware of the killing of seven persons in the area. The information I have indicates that there was an attack and one person was killed,” Misal said.
The state Police public relations Officer, DSP David Misal who confirmed the incident, said only five persons were killed in the attack while several houses were burnt.
However, an eyewitness, Danjuma Rimande, said that eleven persons were killed and most of the bodies recovered even as they were still searching for some of the missing persons.
“As we speak, we have recovered eleven bodies and we are still searching for other people that we cannot account for. It is likely that the number would go up.”
As a result of the attack that has created panic and a lot of tension in Jalingo, the State governor, Darius Ishaku yesterday imposed a 14-hour curfew on Jalingo from 4pm to 6am with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Kona women on Tuesday staged a protest against the continued attacks on their communities and killing of the people by armed herdsmen.
The women who took the protest walked from Kona village to the centre of the killings at ATC.
The women alleged that rather than going after the herdsmen who have had a field day killing people and destroying their homes, the security agencies turn to harass and arrest the Kona youths who mobilise to defend their homes and urged the agencies to release their children who have been arrested.
