By Queen Kunde
Coordinated attacks by unknown gunmen on Taraba/Benue villages border in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State has left 11 persons dead, houses burnt and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
Reports says the attacks were on Apiirgwa, a border village with Benue State and Deke, a remote community located about 3kms away from Wukari to Kente
It was gathered that the attackers invaded Apiirgwa en mass in the early hours of Saturday around 5:00am when the victims were fast asleep and started shooting sporadically. The villagers on hearing the gunshots scampered for their safety but 8 persons could not make it as they were killed by the gunshots
Narrating the incident in a telephone call, the chairman Wukari LGA Branch of the Tiv Cultural and Social Association, Mr Aondowase Tarorshi explained that eight persons were actually killed at Apiirgwa village, two were killed at Tse-Deke, a remote village located about three KM away from Wukari along Wukari Kente road where Internally Displaced Persons IDPs, have just resettled, while the other person was killed at Tarorshi, along Wukari Rafinka Road
Mr Aondowase disclosed that the lifeless bodies of the eight persons killed at Apiirgwa and the two at Deke were recovered and hence burried but the corps of the young man killed along Rafinka road was yet to be recovered
He identified the victims as; Daniel Apirgwa ,saater Apirgwa, Terna Apirgwa, Nguyiman Apirgwa , Tertindi Apirgwa, kparegh Emmanuel Apirgwa, and mama modi Apirgwa, Myom Chiahemba Tarorshi, Mr Tyolumun Deke and Mr Ternenge Deke AKA Usman respectively
He said the attack on Apiirgwa was reported to the military officers in the area who went to the scene of the incident and asked the bereaved to bury the victims.
“Though Apiirgwa is a border village of Benue State, majority of the people leaving here now are the IDPs from Taraba State and I want to tell you that the attack has aggravated the people’s challenges. Thousands of youths here are rendered restive and children have been out of school all this while.
“Thousands of youths are rendered restive and children are out of school all this while. Those who attempt to come back and resettled are always attacked. There are seemingly ceaseless killings over here since the crisis started on 1st April, 2019
“As I am talking to you, the lifeless bodies of the eight persons killed at Apiirgwa have been buried on the directive of the military officers who went to the scene of the event. The two persons at Deke have also been buried but the corps of the other person killed along Rafinka has not been recovered
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Dr Agbu Kefas and his team to make a pronouncement concerning this crisis. The governor should also set up earnest modalities and resettled the thousands of IDPs who fled the area following the Jukun and Tiv crisis
“I am very sure that when the IDPs are resettled in their homes, it will control the rate of these reckless attacks that are consuming the lives of our young men over here”. He stated
Though the chairman of the Local Government Area, Hon Dauda Samaila could not answer the several calls put across his phone, the State Police Public Relation officer, DSP Gambo Kwache, confirmed the attacks. She however said only two persons were reported killed