Senate Mourns 40 Taraba Residents, Six Soldiers Killed By Terrorists

House urges Army chief, IG to secure Takum LGA, fish out terrorists

The Senate, yesterday, mourned the recent killing of over 40 persons, including soldiers, by terrorists in the southern part of Taraba State.

The action followed a point of order by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (APC, Taraba South).

Bwacha drew the attention of the chamber to the incidents of banditry and terrorism that occurred in Southern Taraba during the Sallah break.

He said the attackers came on motorbikes and killed over 40 persons, including soldiers who were mobilised to protect the community.

The Senator consoled with Military authorities over the loss of its men and officers in the line of duty.

He appealed to the federal government to direct the relevant agencies to provide relief materials to the victims of the attack.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, called on Nigerians to support the military by providing the needed motivation and information to enable them tackle the problem of insecurity.

Lawan said, “Let me also say that the military and our armed forces are doing their best, we have no alternative but to support them in whatever way possible.

“Here in the Senate and National Assembly, we have been appropriating funds for our armed forces, and I believe that this administration has provided more resources to them to fight the various forms and ramifications of insecurity in the country than any previous one.

“So, we will continue to give that kind of support. And I also want to urge all Nigerians to continue to support our armed forces because they are doing so much even though we don’t have enough for them.

“But I believe that the support of citizens for the armed forces will galvanise and keep them motivated.”

The Senate, thereafter, observed a minute silence to all those killed by terrorists in Southern Taraba.

In a related development, the House of Representatives, yesterday, urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to deploy more security men to effectively secure the Takum Local Government Area in Taraba State and fish out the terrorists.

The lawmakers also urged the intelligence agencies to take steps to fish out the sponsors of the terrorists and made to face the law.

They urged all branches of government to ensure that the shortage of men in the armed forces was urgently addressed, “for we have too few armed men to combat the nature of the security challenges confronting the country today.”

The resolutions, however, followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance on the ‘unconscionable killings of civilians and soldiers in Takum, Taraba State’, sponsored by Hon.

Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum.

Moving the motion, Kwekum noted that, on Tuesday 10th May 2022, bandits/terrorist attacked Tati village in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, adding that the Tati village, a farming community, was razed down by bandits, who had arrived in the area the previous night.

He said the bandits ambushed the security agents, who were outnumbered and in the ensuring face off, six soldiers were killed, after the bandits had earlier killed a policeman at a check-point and other civilians at Tati.

He said the House was aware that the massive movement of the terrorists to the area had been reported by residents to government agencies and functionaries as well as security agencies some days back.

The lawmaker, who expressed concerns that the bandits were increasing their reach and more parts of the country, lamented that the persistent and consistent killings of both security personnel and civilians might dampen the morale of the soldiers and encourage the bandits to cause more havoc.

Adopting the motion, the House observed a minute silence in honour of the civilians, policemen, and soldiers, who were gruesomely butchered to death by the terrorists.