Gunmen Wipe Out Taraba Family Of 4 Despite Military Presence

Tragedy struck again in Taraba State on Wednesday wiping away a family of four despite the ongoing military operation dubbed ‘Operation Ayem Akpatuma’ meant to quell insurgency and incessant militia onslaughts on innocent farmers and communities in the state.

   Our correspondent learned that the latest attack, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday in Mbiya village in Takum Local Government Area of the state, claimed a man identified as Sunday Sabo, his wife and two children, who were all shot to death by gun-wielding herdsmen in their sleep.

  According to local residents, the murder of the four by the herdsmen took the community by surprise as the AK-47-wielding men, disappeared from the area before natives could gather to organise any response.

The attackers reportedly invaded the farming community around 1 am on Wednesday when most of the inhabitants were asleep. Sources said they were more than 20, all of them armed with guns and cutlasses. According to residents of the area, the armed men later swooped on Bassa village and also set it ablaze.

Curiously, Taraba State is among states being covered by the ongoing ‘Operation Ayem Akpatuma’ ,which is aimed at disarming people in order to secure lives and properties. The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Taraba State on Media, Mr. Bala Dan Abu, confirmed the attack and said that the matter had been reported to relevant security agencies. Abu said the governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaka, was grieved over the incessant attacks on innocent citizens of the state by herdsmen. It will be recalled that the governor had last week lamented the inability of the military personnel mobilised to the state to contain the rampaging militias killing and maiming innocent persons in the state.

Like, the former Defence Minister, Theophilus Danjuma, who expressed disappointment over the apparent connivance of military officials with attackers, the governor said he was unhappy over the continued attacks on the citizens without appropriate response from the military. Ishaku also said he had reported the inaction of the military to the presidency and asked it to take steps to prevent further bloodshed but the defence ministry denied receiving complaints from the governor against the military but promised to look into it.