Gunmen kills ten in Taraba

Gunmen in Maihula village of Bali Local Government Council, Taraba State, killed 10 persons yesterday.

The incident has forced people of the village to seek safety at the council’s administrative headquarters.

An eyewitness said about 30 men stormed the village, shooting sporadically.

The state in the last four months has witnessed similar attacks, which claimed lives and destroyed properties.

The situation has caused people to relocate from the state.

Yesterday’s attack came hours after the celebration of a peace concert, organized by the state chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYC).

Although the state government claims it has brokered peace between various warring parties and has provided security operatives with over 70 patrol vehicles, the death toll continues to rise.

Confirming the attack, the council chairman, Andy Yerima, denied that the attack was carried out by unknown gunmen, saying: “armed robbers attacked and killed the people.”

He said the armed bandits attacked the people, whom according to him “were coming from the Garba-Chede market”, and dispossessed them of their valuables before killing them. He said the attack took place between Maihula and Dadinkowa village.

The Police Public Relation Officer Joseph Kwaji, said: “There was an attack by unknown gunmen in Maihula village. Three spent AK47 shells were found at the scene by our patrol team drafted immediately to the scene.”

Anti-riot policemen, according to Kwaji, have been moved to the area to restore normalcy.
He called on members of the public to assist the police with relevant information that could lead to the arrest of the attackers.