Taraba Facts

Sometimes in February this year, the people of Mambilla Plateau, referring to the communities on the high hills of the sardauna local government area of Taraba state, were brought down to their knees by a  vicious ethno-religious crises . Lives were lost and properties,including livestock were destroyed. Some groups,who  likened the crises to genocide , gave the casualty figures as at close to one thousand people. But governor Darius Ishaku,  who was on the Mambila recently, said only 264 persons were killed, even as he confirmed that property estimated to worth billions of naira, were destroyed. But just as the surviving victims of the crisis were stitching their bruises and picking the broken pieces of their lives, governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, with a large team of executive members and some critical stakeholders arrived on the Mambilla Plateau. In the governor Ishaku’s luggage were assorted packages of life touching,  succor giving initiatives , as w...

Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue and Darius Ishaku of Taraba States have resolved to grant amnesty to criminals operating along the border of the states. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offer is part of the resolution at the end of the joint security meeting between the two states held at the Federal University Wukari in Taraba. Ishaku, who read the communiqué at the end of the tour of some border communities of Abako, Sai and Dogon-Gawa, said the amnesty window took effect immediately and would expire by the end of January 2019. “We are willing to give amnesty to criminals who are willing to renounce criminality and surrender their weapons so that we can give them better jobs and reintegrate them into the society. “Criminals willing to surrender, including those that defaulted in the past, are free to contact any of us (governors), traditional rulers and security agencies. “Elections are around the corner and we will like to do this between now and end o...

Governor Darius Ishaku has bemoaned the increasing level of kidnapping and criminal activities in some communities in Benue and Taraba States. Governor Ishaku delivering his speech at the Joint Security meeting between Taraba and Benue states. He made the pronouncement at a joint security meeting between the two States at the Conference Hall of the Federal University, Wukari. He lamented that the spate of kidnapping has truncated economic activities in the crises prone communities and charged those involved to stop the retrogressive act in order to enjoy the dividends of democracy. Governor Ishaku challenged Traditional rulers to be proactive in identifying miscreants and criminal elements in their domain for prompt action. On his part, Benue State of Governor, Samuel Ortom noted that the best time to stop the criminal actiand vities and kidnapping in Taraba and Benue States is now considering the synergy both governments have adopted for peace to thrive. He emphasized ...

A prominent monarch in Benue State, Prof James Ayatse, on Saturday, appealed to the Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, to carry  his people (Tiv) in  the state  as indigenes of Taraba. The Tor-Tiv  made the appeal during a security meeting between the Benue and Taraba state governments  at the Federal University, Wukari, in Taraba to find ways to  tackle  insecurity along the Taraba-Benue border. He  said, “Your Excellency, before the colonial rule, Tiv and Jukun were living together in this area. “You will recall that before independence, a good number of Tiv people were administered from Wukari under the traditional authority of the Aku Uka and till date, a good number of Tiv people are in Taraba as indigenes. “I, therefore, appeal to you to consider the creation of chiefdoms for the Tiv people of Taraba as done by your administration recently for other tribes in the state. “The Tiv people, who have been found worthy in the ser...

Peace has gradually returned to Mambilla Plateau in Sardauna local government area of Taraba state two years after attacks on Fulani villages and towns by suspected Mambilla militia. During the attacks over 1000 people were said to be killed and more than 30 villages were burnt down while thousands of Fulani including women and children were forced out of their homes. When Daily Trust’s reporter visited the areas recently, economic and social activities have resumed in Nguroje, Mayo Ndaga and all the areas affected by the crisis. The area known for its tourism, livestock and solid mineral potentials was hit by communal conflicts in 2002 and 2017. The state government has initiated peace and reconciliation programs which brought all the tribes in the conflict to a roundtable meeting, which resulted in the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the once troubled area. Federal and Taraba State governments had at different times provided relief materials to the victims of th...

Travellers continue to avoid the road from Numan, Adamawa State  to Jalingo, Taraba State for fear of possible attacks by suspected local ethnic militia in Baali communities despite assurances of improved security from military authorities. Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade Brigadier General Muhamad Bello told our correspondent that a joint security operation had restored normalcy on the road that connected southern part of Adamawa State with Taraba State. Bello said multiple security check points had been erected to checkmate the local militia unleashing terror on innocent travelers, saying vehicular activities were gradually returning to the area while the operation which was planned to end in a month may be extended. He said, “The governor just called me, asking for extension of the operation. He said he is coming in tomorrow and we are going to meet and discuss. The vigilantes cannot dare operate there because of our presence on the road together with po...

The leadership of UDP Youth Forum has urged the electorates to vote for UDP during governorship and states assembly elections. The group also advised them not to be swayed by the lies, empty promises and propaganda of the outgoing PDP government and the rejected APC in the state. In a Christmas goodwill message signed by its Director of Communication, Mallam Abubakar Isah, the group noted that the good people of the state have suffered untold hardships and deprivations caused by the inept, clueless and visionless government of the day which has nothing to offer them other than lies, poverty, pains and sorrow despite the huge and abundant human and natural resources the state is endowed with. “The statement also noted that unlike the APC and PDP governorship candidates who have been governors of the state with nothing to show for it, We therefore wish everyone in the state a very warmed Christmas and Prosperous New ahead!,” he stated. According to the Director of Comm...

Governor Darius Ishaku on Monday presented the 2019 budget estimates of N146.73 billion to the Taraba State House of Assembly for consideration. Presenting the budget at the State Assembly Complex in Jalingo, the state capital, Mr Ishaku said the budget estimates was to consolidate on his achievements in the past years. The budget estimate has a capital expenditure of N72.8billion, representing 49.86 per cent and a recurrent expenditure of N73.24billion, representing 50.14 per cent. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2019 budget estimates of N146.73bn is 12.73 per cent higher than 2018 budget of N129billion, including a N25 billion supplementary budget later passed by the Assembly. Ministry of Works and Housing took the lion share of N18.2billion, while that of Environment has the least with N944million. Mr Ishaku, while commending the state legislators for the support and the cordial working relationship between the Executive and the Legislature, pledged a...

SEN. AISHA ALHASSAN  • ‘Mama Taraba’ dares clerics campaigning that a woman cannot be Governor  Electioneering activities in Taraba State are gathering steam following the lift of the ban on governorship campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The immediate past Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan, whose bid to become the governor of Taraba in 2015 suffered a major setback, has, once again, come alive and appears to be gaining grounds ahead of the 2019 polls. Her defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, which some school of thought had thought could truncate her ambition, however, received a boost after about 50 groups, most of which comprised of her loyal followers during her sojourn in the APC, moved to the United Democratic Party, UDP, in the last one month. Though the candidate of the APC in the state, Sani Danladi, said he had reached truce with other former aspirants of the party who had strug...

The Taraba State House of Assembly today confirmed the seven commissioner nominees submitted to it for screening and confirmation by Governor Darius Ishaku. The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Abel Peter Diah, announced the confirmation after the screening during plenary session in Jalingo. The screened and cleared nominees include Dr. Jesse Adi (Wukari LGA), Mrs. Lois Emmanuel (Wukari LGA) and Barr. Gawon Emmanuel (Karim Lamido LGA). Also cleared are Rt. Hon Simon Dogari (Kurmi LGA), Hon. Irimiya Hammanjulde (Lau LGA), Muhammadu Dan Dauda (Jalingo) and Ibrahim Lawal (Gashaka LGA). The speaker charged the commissioner nominees to be fair and just when finally inaugurated as members of the state executive council and to contribute their quota to the development of the State. He also urged them to be prudent and accountable in the management of the State’s resources while discharging their duties in the interest of peace and development.

In the wake of the return of permanent peace to the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State after a series of crises that has claimed over 260 lives, AGBO-PAUL AUGUSTINE (Abuja) and ANDREW OJIH (Jalingo) write on how the state government intervened with a N310 million compensation for the victims and a call to maintain peace. After a bloody clash that claimed over 260 lives, destroyed property worth billions of naira and left comuniuties desolate with hunger, frustrations and the need to recover from the huge loss, the people of Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State needed more than verbal encouragement to pick up the pieces of their lives. The Mambilla Plateau has seen more than enough of skirmishes in the past, a development that has worried the Taraba State government. It has witnessed several ethnic crises dating back to the 1970s. There were attacks in 1979, 1980, 1982, 2001, 2002 and 2017. In each, the fighting was among the major ethnic groups on the Mambilla Plateau. Each round of viol...

Ahead of the festive period, the Taraba State command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has deployed armed men across the state to ensure the security of lives and property during and after the Yuletide. The state commandant of the Corps, Alhaji Kamilu Isah Ardo, disclosed this in Jalingo on Thursday while parading some cattle rustlers and other criminals arrested by the command. Ardo said that the command was aware of the heightened level of criminal tendencies especially during the festive period and had taken a proactive measure by deploying armed personnel to all the flash points across the state to forestall crime and ensure prompt arrests where necessary. He said that the command was working with sister agencies to ensure that the state was safe enough for everyone during and after the festive periods and called on members of the public to report any suspicious activities or persons in their areas to security personnel for prompt actions. “Toda...

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has trained its staff on Election Monitoring and Support, EMS in Taraba state.  INEC The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Baba Yusuf at the opening ceremony of the 3 days workshop in Jalingo disclosed that four implementing officers of the commission from each local government area of the state were being trained.  He said ” the training is aimed at equipping participants on best ways to support the commission on proactive mode of response to election crisis.  “You are all aware of the various innovations and processes introduced by the commission in some of the recently conducted off-season elections; these are all prelude to what would be obtainable in the 2019 elections.” While attributing the success of the recently conducted Takum 1 bye election to some of the innovations of the commission, Yusuf urged participants to be on the same page with the commission in the task ahead. According to him,...

Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has received the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fly it at the 2019 governorship election. The governor, who clinched the ticket in landslide, was given the flag by the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, in Abuja on Wednesday. Ishaku, who is seeking a second term, on Thursday showed the flag to the party stalwarts and supporters in Jalingo when he landed at the Danbaba Suntai Airport in the State capital. He was accompanied in the Overland aircraft by senators Emmanuel Bwacha (representing southern zone) and Shuaibu Isa Lau (representing northern Taraba) among other dignitaries On arrival, the governor handed the flag to the PDP State chairman, Victor Bala, who together with the Deputy Governor, Haruna Manu, Speaker Abel Peter Diah, the governor’s wife, Anna Ishaku, and other government officials, received him. Ishaku is now ready for the 2019 governorship poll. His return with the PDP flag in the State capi...

Ahead of the 2019 general elections and with the rising incidents of thuggery and gangsterism in the state, the Taraba State deputy governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, on Wednesday, urged students to avoid the temptation of submitting themselves as thugs to politicians. Manu gave the charge, in Jalingo, when the National Association of Jukun Students conferred on him with the award as the Most Loyal and Supportive Deputy Governor in the history of the state. The deputy governor said that as political activities gather momentum, the tendency of desperate politicians trying to use young persons as thugs to achieve their political desires could not be ruled out and urged the youths to resist such approaches. “Let me first of all appreciate yo all for considering me for this great honor. For those who know me very well, you will know that as a policy, I don’t take awards but this is just different. “It gives me the opportunity to talk to you as young people with brilliant future...

The Taraba State House of Assembly has approved a request by Gov. Darius Ishaku, to access a loan of N1,234,000,000.00 to facilitate the implementation of the World Bank and UNICEF assisted programmes/projects in the State, as well as N1,473,832,845.20 for the payment of the State’s 50% Counterpart Contribution for implementation of UBE Programmes/Projects. In two separate letters sent to the House, and read at plenary, the members unanimously approved the request by the governor without any debate. The first letter reads: “in order to facilitate the implementation of the World Bank and UNICEF Assisted Programmes/ Projects, Council resolved to access a Bank facility of the sum of N1,234,000,000.00 only as Counterpart Contribution by the State from Zenith Bank PLC”. The second letter reads: “In order to meet conditions precedent to accessing and utilising the Universal Basic Education Commission’s 2018 grant of N1,473,832,845.20 only to the State Universal Basic Education Board...

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, and one of the governorship aspirants of the party in Taraba State, Kabiru Dodo, has dispelled report that a resolution had been reached with aggrieved aspirants after the primaries.  Dodo said news that the party’s governorship candidate, Sani Danladi, had reached out to those who lost was false and mischievous. He noted that the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party was the authority with the powers to resolve the crisis, adding that the reconciliation committee for the North East was yet to make public its report. He said: “The rumour mongers are only being mischevious by going on air to say we have reconciled our differences. “Only the NWC of the party has the power to speak on the status of the reconciliation of aggrieved aspirants which has not been made public.” - Vanguard

Usman said he got N200 as tip to buy recharge card after returning N1,150,000 he found in his tricycle A commercial tricycle rider, identified as Usman, has caused a fuss on Twitter after he returned the sum of N1,150,000 he found in his tricycle. According to a post by @Hassanpullo , Usman got a tip of N200 from the owner of the money for his kind gesture. The incidence occurred in Jalingo, Taraba state. In a video interview uploaded with regards to the incident, Usman explained that he traced the owner of the money through a bank teller he found along with the cash. The good Samaritan who spoke in Hausa language further disclosed that he confirmed the man he handed the money to was the real owner and the passenger he had carried before handing the money to him. "He counted the money after I handed it over to him and hugged me. He then gave me N200 to buy recharge card, i thanked him then I left,"  he said. According to him the owner of the c...

The Force Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) Maj.-Gen. Adeyemi Yekini says a total of 236,864 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned to their homes in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states. Yekeini stated this on Monday in Mbabai, Guma Local Government area of Benue when he led journalists to most villages affected by recent farmers/herdsmen clashes in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the journalists visited Mbabai, Mbadwen, Umenge, Yogbo all in Guma local government and Keana town and Giza, in Keana local government of Nasarawa. NAN reports that Yekini is the Force Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in charge of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states. He explained that out of the 236, 854 IDPs that have so far returned to their homes, 201, 854 were from Benue while 15,000 in Nasarawa and 10,000 from Taraba. According to him, 141,000 of the IDPs are from Guma local government, 33,000 from Gwer West and 27,000 in Logo local governmen...