May 15, (THEWILL) – Residents of Tati Village in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State will forever remember last Tuesday night as one that was laced with terror, following the killing of many security personnel in a terrorist attack on a military convoy and a bomb attack at the 6 Brigade Military Base in Jalingo.
About two months ago, a bomb explosion rocked Iware in Ardo Kola Local Government Area of the state causing the death of no fewer than six people. There was another blast nearby in the Nukkai area, which shares a border with Ardo Kola.
These bloody incidents may have succeeded in disrupting the relative peace that Taraba State has been enjoying for a long time now as the events left fear, anxiety and panic among the residents.
Although the attacks on the military base and Nukkai resulted in very few casualties, many residents are still panic-stricken and wondering what will happen next and where the terrorists will strike again.
Before the attacks, Governor Darius Ishaku had called on traditional rulers in the state to check the influx of foreigners in their respective localities to avoid strange occurrences as well as to keep the peace.
Residents who spoke to THEWILL expressed concern over the incessant attacks, lamenting that Taraba had all of a sudden transformed from a peaceful state to one ridden with violence.
A resident of the state, Ismail Illiyasu, blamed the Taraba State Government for not acting quickly to nip the violence in the bud.
“It is very unfortunate that we are in this situation. I think the state government neglected the signs of impending violence. I am talking of signs in the form of attacks on nearby villages and the recurrence of such attacks, which showed that the attackers were closer to us than we thought. The government made no move to curtail or stop the attacks. Now it is happening inside the state capital, even inside a military base. This shows how far these people have reached.
“It is not too late to do something about these unprovoked attacks. I would advise the state government to consider using the intel that it gets without fear or sentiment. We cannot always be on the defensive. Let us be on the offensive, at least for once. Let us go after these people or the attacks will continue.”
Another resident, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the measures taken by the security forces are not proactive, hence the reoccurrence of the attacks by terrorists who have found their ways into Taraba.
The source called on the appropriate authorities to begin proactive measures towards safeguarding people’s lives and livelihood.
For Mrs Rejoice Musa, most residents saw the terrorist attacks coming because there were red flags everywhere, especially after the Iware bomb explosion.
“All the attacks in the rural areas were not going to end there. Since nothing was done to tackle the perpetrators from that piont, it was only a matter of time before they got here.
“We are no longer safe. We don’t even know what will happen tomorrow . We need the security agencies to do something different from what they have been doing to end this,” She said.
THEWILL also gathered that prior to the recent attacks, suspected terrorists had been on a rampage in some neighbouring local government areas, reaping a harvest of blood, killing and maiming innocent and law-abiding Nigerians. The attack in Baba Juli in Bali LGA during the Holy month of Ramadan, in which no fewer than three lives were lost, is one example among others.
Meanwhile, the Taraba State Government commiserating with the military and the relatives of those killed in the attacks, once again called on traditional rulers to check the movement of foreign elements within their localities.
Also, the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Prof Joseph Albasu Kunini, who condemned the incessant attacks, said that it was not fair that residents had resorted to watching their backs in the state that has enjoyed relative peace for a long time.
Kunini stressed that such cannot be allowed to continue and it will not be accepted as the new normal, while calling on the security agencies to intensify efforts in ensuring the matter is tackled and the perpetrators brought to book.
But while the security agencies and the state government keep assuring Tarabans of additional efforts to calm the situation, anxiety still continues to thrive among residents.
Efforts are already being made, but more has to be done, proactive measures this time, to ensure the matter is laid to rest once and for all.
