Taraba Facts

- He travels without transmitting power to deputy - Haruna Manu stopped from taking 'major decisions' - Workers, aides deserts government house‎ in gov. absence Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has returned to the state capital after a long vacation. The governor arrived on Tuesday night after residents were grumbling over his long stay abroad and gross violation of the nation’s constitution by travelling out of the country without transmitting power to his Deputy,  Engr. Haruna Manu as required by law. Section 190 of Nigerian Constitution says:  Whenever a Governor transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions  of his office, until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the  contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Deputy Governor as Acting Governor. This constitutional...

The Deputy Registrar Administration of the  Taraba State  University, Jalingo, Sanusi Sa’ad, was on early hours of Tuesday kidnapped by unknown  gunmen . Concise News  learnt that Sa’ad, who is also the Information and Protocol Officer of the University was picked in his house at the University quarters at 1am today. Advertise With Us According to The Punch, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University chapter, Dr. Samuel Shikaa, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview in Jalingo. Shikaa said the kidnappers invaded the house through the back side of the University that is not fenced and took the Deputy Registrar away to an unknown destination. Taraba State University chapter of ASUU is currently on strike over the insecurity of staff occasioned by lack of perimeter fencing of the University, funding, and pension for staff among others. Kidnapping in Taraba state especially Jalingo the state capital is gra...

Taraba State University  The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University chapter on Monday accused the state government of not committed to ending the ongoing strike embarked upon by the union. Addressing journalists at the university’s campus in Jalingo, ASUU Chairman, Dr Samuel Shikaa, said the union was not just on strike because of the deductions in their salaries for the months of January and February, 2019, urging the state government to address the issues in the agreement signed with the union in March, 2018.  Shikaa explained that the union was on strike because of variety of issues contained in the agreement reached with the union last year which the government had failed to honour. “Since 2014, there had been series of industrial dispute because government had failed to honour agreements reached with ASUU. “Issues in question have to do with  funding, infrastructural deficit in the school, pension, perimeter fencing of the school an...

The army officer and his family, who were abducted by unidentified gunmen along Wukari Ibbi road in Ibbi local government area of Taraba State on Saturday, have regained their freedom. Sources in Wukari and Ibbi told Daily Trust that the abducted Army officer and his family were released Sunday night.                      ADVERTISEMENT The source stated that soldiers and police had stormed Ibiwa village where the gunmen abducted the army officer in a rescue operation Yesterday. The soldiers, the source added, had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to communities in the location to release the officer and his family.                    ADVERTISEMENT  Daily Trust further gathered that the chairman of Ibbi local government area and the paramount ruler of Ibbi also joined the rescue mission. The officer, according to the source, was released Sunday night. Daily Trust c...

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) head of operations in charge of Adamawa and Taraba states, Abbani Garki Imam, Sunday lamented that the level of destruction in the skirmishes between the Jukun and Tiv people in Wukari local government area of Taraba state was beyond imagination. Abbani, who stated this in Wukari when NEMA visited the affected communities said the agency was in Wukari to condole with both tribes that were badly  affected by the crisis. He stated that their visit was also to ascertain the level of damages and lost as directed by President Muhammad Buhari. “What we have seen here is beyond imagination, outside the federal government intervention to bring succor to the victims of the crisis, we are also calling on NGO’s to come the aide of the affected communities” he said. He said over two thousand people were displaced from over thirty communities. On his part, the security adviser to the chairman of Wukari local government, Mr ...

An army officer was abducted   with his wife and two children along  Wukari-Ibbi road on Sunday. Daily Trust gathered that the officer  in civil dress was traveling in his personal car with his wife and  two children when he was  abducted by unknown Gunmen at Ibiwa village in Ibbi local government area of Taraba state.  ADVERTISEMENT Sources in Wukari and Ibbi anonymously told Daily Trust that the officer attached to Army Barracks Takum  was traveling from Takum to Ibbi town when the gunmen blocked the road at Ibiwa village and took him and his family  to unknown location. The source said  soldiers from Takum and police from Wukari are  now searching the forests between Wukari and  Ibbi town to rescue the army officer and his family. ADVERTISEMENT Contacted, the police public relation officer Taraba state command DSP David Misal told Daily Trust that he had contacted the DPO Ibbi and Wukari area command ...

Due to the spate of kidnapping in Taraba, the Caretaker Chairman of Takum Local Government Council in the state, Shiban Tikari has restricted the movement of motorcycles in the council area. The council caretaker banned motorcycle operators from operating beyond 7 pm in order to check kidnapping and armedrobbery in the area. According to Shiban, armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom using motorcycles have become daily affair in the local government.  The local government caretaker while speaking at a press briefing in Jalingo said activities of armed robbers and kidnappers informed the decision to restrict motorcycles' movement. According to Punch, Shiban lamented that in some cases those kidnapped and ransom paid ended up being killed by their abductors. He said, “ I want to appeal to all patriotic and peace loving people of Takum LGA including those from the neighbouring communities where these criminality is taking place to be more vigilant and help us and the...

The Taraba State government has set up a 17-man Peace and True Reconciliation Committee to reconcile all ethnic groups in Lau local government area who have been fighting one another. The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Kongo Abbare, said already members of the committee have toured all parts of the local government so as to bring all the warring sides to a roundtable.  ADVERTISEMENT The chairman told North East Trust that the state government was worried over killings and destruction of property as a result of lingering communal conflict in the area. He said the committee had sat with different ethnic groups and so far those that the committee met  have indicated their readiness to embrace peace.                      ADVERTISEMENT According to him the committee is committed to ensuring true reconciliation and dialogue between ethnic groups in the area in order to have sustainable peace. He said...

The Police Command in Taraba State on Friday said it had arrested five suspected kidnappers and four cattle rustlers wreaking havoc in the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Alkasim Sanusi, disclosed this to Journalists at the command headquarters in Jalingo. Sanusi said operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad arrested the suspected kidnappers when they attempted to collect ransom from families of kidnapped victims. “The five suspected kidnappers were arrested when they went to collect ransom with a stolen motorcycle. “The suspects are at the moment helping us with useful information to enable us to arrest their colleagues at large,” he said. Sanusi advised kidnap victims across the state to visit the state headquarters and witness the identification parade of the suspected kidnappers. He urged the people of the state, especially families of victims of kidnap to always be courageous to volunteer information to the police any time ransom was d...

Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Thursday released six final accident reports involving the crash that involved late Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai; who the bureau said was not competent to fly the ill-fated Cessna 208B that crashed on October 25, 2012. The other final reports involved Delta Airlines Airbus A330- 223 on February 13, 2018 and Bristow Helicopters Sirkorsky S76C6+, which crashed on February 3, 2016. Others involved a Diamond DA40D aircraft operated by International Aviation College in Ilorin and a GulfStream G200 aircraft operated by Nestoil Plc. Speaking at a briefing at its headquarters in Lagos, AIB Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, said accident reports are not meant to be punitive. He said though the bureau could not conclusively determine the cause of the crash involving the late Taraba governor, but hinted that Suntai as pilot of the ill-fated airplane was not certified, qualified and competent to fly the aircraft. Olateru said the ...

The  Benue  and Taraba State governments have set-up a committee following the violence in Tiv/Jukun communities,  Concise News  reports. This  online news medium understands that the 10-man committee is part of efforts at restoring peace in the communities in the Benue and  Taraba State  borders. Advertise With Us The  Benue State  acting governor, Benson Abounu, inaugurated the committee alongside the Taraba State deputy governor, Haruna Manu at the Federal University at Wukari. Abounu urged them to be fair and do their job by revealing the causes and solutions to the problems. The committee will tour all affected areas to sensitise the people on the need for peaceful co-existence and to also determine the extent of damage done.

Abductors of the two wives of Alhaji Babaji DadinKowa, a Permanent Secretary in the office of the Deputy Governor of Taraba, have demanded for ransom before their release. Kidnap Dadinkowa, who confirmed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Jalingo, however refused to disclose the amount they has requested for.  “I received a call from someone who confirmed to me that my wives are with them; he also assured me that they are in good condition. “They have demanded for money, but we are still talking and yet to arrive at an agreement,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that unknown gunmen on Tuesday stormed the house of the permanent secretary in Jalingo, and whisked away his two wives. The government official was not at home when the kidnappers struck. Mr David Misal, Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Taraba, who confirmed the incident, said that the command was “working very hard” to rescue the victims and apprehend the abduct...

The Tiv people of Taraba State have called on the government to deploy massive security to the warring Wukari local government area of Taraba State to halt the ongoing killings of their people, looting of properties and displacement of thousands of Tivs from the area. The president general, Tiv Cultural and Social Association (TCSA), Goodman Dahida, while briefing journalists, disclosed this yesterday, in Jalingo over the renewed crisis in Wukari. Dahida lamented that his people (Tiv) were attacked immediately after the Benue/Taraba stakeholders’ meeting held at Federal University, Wukari on the 15th to end the crisis. “Immediately after the peace meeting on Monday, on Tuesday, 16th, some Jukun youths allegedly attacked Vaase, a Tiv border community with Benue. "On Wednesday April 17th, Tse-Ali Kaakigh, a Tiv village was attacked, the attackers took their provocation on Ikyaior, Gborgbor and Gindin Mangoro, all Tiv villages, this happened continuously till 18th and...

Residents of Jalingo metropolis in Taraba State have appealed to the Inspector General of police to send a special squad to Jalingo to deal with the increasing cases of kidnapping. A community leader in Jalingo, Alhaji Usman Habu said, in an interview with Daily Trust , that kidnappers were now on the prowl in the metropolis. ADVERTISEMENT According to him, kidnapping is a daily happening in the metropolis, adding that every night, between two to three persons are abducted in the metropolis. Alhaji Habu said that kidnappers now target wealthy individuals and senior civil servants and members of their family. ADVERTISEMENT The community leader explained that there were always sound of gun shots every midnight in the town. He said the kidnappers use sophisticated arms in carrying out their criminal activities. Daily Trust findings revealed that most streets in the metropolis are empty as early as 7.30pm as most residents retired to their homes for fear of the kid...

Taraba Truth and Facts Editorial Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has cut short his leave to return and join hands with major stakeholders to address the ongoing crisis in some border and other communities of his state, Governor Darius Ishaku should learn to do same immediately.  Governor Darius Ishaku had travelled oversea for vacation with his family members and key political allies leaving the state amidst daily violence kidnapping for ransom; ethnic crisis in Wukari which claimed hundreds of lives and the State University forcefully closed by members of Academic Staff Union of universities, ASUU. It’s a big surprise that while his state is literary on fire, the Governor  is nowhere to be found at the front of addressing these problems. In the last few weeks, kidnappers had abducted more than a hundred people in Taraba State only few capable of paying heavy ransom are released. They have resurfaced again in Jalingo with residents living in fears.  Se...

The  House of Representatives has urged security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Army, to increase its presence and intervene in the crisis being experienced in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. The call was predicated on a motion co-sponsored by Danjuma Shiddi, from Taraba and Udende Emmanuel from Benue State, during yesterday’s plenary. Shiddi explained that in recent time, the area had become unstable due to communal clashes between the Tiv and Jukuns. According to him, the clashes started from a disagreement between two persons from the two ethnic groups. Shiddi also said many settlements in Kente, Tsokundi, Bantaje, Jibu, Hospital, Avyi, Rafm Kada, Puje, and Chonku Wards were affected. He said infrastructure including schools, health facilities and places of worship, houses have been destroyed while many people have also been killed in the feud between the two tribal groups. The lawmaker said about 10,000 people have fled their homes and that t...

Unknown Gunmen have abducted two wives of permanent secretary in Taraba state deputy governor’s office. Daily Trust gathered that the Gunmen stormed the residence of the permanent secretary located at Yagai area in Jalingo metropolis midnight. ADVERTISEMENT It was gathered that the Gunmen fired several shots and as a result, residents of the area fled. The Gunmen, it was further gathered, forced their way into the house for the permanent secretary, Alhaji Babaji Dadin kowa, who was not in the house at that time. ADVERTISEMENT The Gunmen however, took away the senior and junior wives of the permanent secretary to an unknown location. The abductors have not contacted the permanent secretary as at the time of filing this report. The police public relation officer, Taraba police command DSP David Misal confirmed the abduction of the permanent secretary’s wives. He said the police were working on how to rescue the victims and apprehend the gunmen.

The paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Prof James Ayatse, has called for proactive solution to the issues causing the perennial crisis between the Tiv indigenes of Taraba state and their Jukun brothers particularly in Wukari local government area of the state. The Tor Tiv also said the greatest challenge faced by his leadership was trying to find out the possible ways of resolving the age long clashes between the Jukun and Tiv in Taraba, which persistence he said could be fuelled by wickedness, hatred and criminality. The Tor Tiv, who spoke Sunday at a peace meeting between the two warring tribes, said the two tribes who had maintained cordial relationship until 1991 deserved to remain in peace and prosper instead of taking up arms against each other. He said the crisis over the years had led to wanton destruction of lives and property and had led to serious underdevelopment of the two ethnic groups.  He wondered why the Tiv in Taraba would be under const...