Taraba Facts

Three persons, including a woman, have been reportedly killed on their farms in a village along Wukari-Tsokundi road in Wukari local government area of Taraba State by suspected armed militia, Saturday. The militia, according to report from the area, also abducted six others working on their farms and took them to an unknown location. A source in the area, Mr Agbu Adi, told Daily Trust that farming activities will likely be paralysed in southern Taraba because of the increase attacks by suspected militia that ambushed farmers and travelers in the area. He called on security agents to do more and secure the areas from the activities of the militia. Incidents of this nature were recorded in many part of southern Taraba in recent time and no arrest of the perpetrators were made,our finding revealed. Police Public Relation Officer, Taraba Police command, DSP David Misal, confirmed the incident.

Five suspects arrested for robbery, kidnapping and murder in Taraba State have owned up to the various roles they played in the criminal acts. The suspects are Daniel Ihyar, Saheed Yakubu, Felix Agrema, Teitase Nyenkwa and Lukman Musa. They were arrested recently in different locations by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team. City Round learnt that the suspects were members of various gangs that sprung up in the wake of clashes between Jukun and Tiv people in the state. It was gathered the rising spate of kidnappings, armed robbery and murder perpetrated by the criminals made concerned locals to petition the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu. The IG was said to have deployed the IRT team led by DCP Abba Kyari to track down the gangsters. Our correspondent learnt that the most notorious gang terrorising the state was headed by a fleeing 27-year-old man, identified as Joe Agrema, who is on police wanted list. Joe is said to be...

The Taraba State Governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku has approved with immediate effect the addition of Monday to the number of days allowed for free human and vehicular movement within the state under the state government's current COVID19 Lockdown policy. 

As cases of rape and child abuse continue to rise, Dr. Albasu Kunini, Speaker, Taraba House of Assembly, has vowed to sponsor bills for laws that would tackle the menace and deal with the perpetrators. In an interview on Friday, in Jalingo, Kunini also said that steps would be taken to protect victims from stigmatisation. He expressed worry over the rate at which incidents of rape, domestic violence, and child abuse were on the rise, calling on stakeholders to “act swiftly to tackle the menace”. He said that though Taraba had domesticated the Child Right Act, several other states were yet to do the same, adding that the latest developments called for more actions, especially in terms of strict legislation. “I must say that the rising cases of rape and child rights abuse in the country are most worrisome. “It is such a barbaric act that should be condemned from all fronts because the psychological implications are far-reaching and terribly devastating on the victims. ...

The Federal Government has approved N13 billion as intervention fund for pest control in 12 northern states, to reduce the effects of  COVID-19   on the nation’s food sector. The 12 `frontline’ states to benefit from the fund are Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno States. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday. The Minister, Muhammad Nanono, said the intervention fund was to ensure uninterrupted agricultural activities during the 2020 farming season in the states. He explained that the fund would also be used to control trans-boundary pests and minimise the impact of COVID – 19 as well as guarantee nutritional and national food security. Mr Nanono emphasised that the present administration “is determined to fight any menace that will truncate the successes recorded so far in the agricultural sector”.

The federal government has distributed farm inputs to rice farmers in Taraba State. The distribution  of farm inputs for 2020 wet season, which includes fertilizer, improved rice seeds, weed and pest chemicals  commenced in Jalingo, the state capital. The chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in the state, Alhaji Tanko Bobbo Andami,  said at the ceremony that the input, which would be paid for after harvest, was under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme. He said  the introduction of the programme  has boosted rice production during dry and wet seasons, thereby reducing the country’s dependency on foreign rice. The chairman said more than 100,000 farmers in the state were engaged in rice farming  boosting the production of the crop. Alhaji Tanko Bobbo Andami stated that many rice processing companies in the country now source their paddy rice from the state.  The chairman explained that the ban on...

Taraba State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Peter Gambo has described the slashing down of workers salaries idea as devilish. Gambo who was reacting on Thursday in his office, to the statement made on Monday at the floor of the Senate by Sen. Muhammad Ali Mdume representing Borno South, proposing the federal and states government to reduce salaries of civil servants to enable the government to manage COVID-19 and be balanced on its economy. The state NLC boss said such an idea was purely devilish, capable of subjecting the citizens into poverty and must not be accepted. According to him, Nigerians have found themselves in a vulnerable situation that deserves an extra income to enable them to meet up life challenges. Gambo said palliatives have not been given to Nigeria civil servants which majority of them are finding difficult to Carter for the needs of their families as every activity of livelihood have been grounded, caution that such idea ...

The President’s wife Aisha Buhari and Emeka Offor – a philanthropist, on Thursday jointly donated medical equipment and supplies to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, Taraba State. Offor’s Chief of Staff, Assistant Inspector General of Police Chris Okey Ezike (rtd) said the equipment are worth $380,000. The donation came through Offor’s NGO – Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) in collaboration with the president’s wife’s Foundation – The Future Assured. Ezike said the FMC, Taraba is a beneficiary because the president’s wife nominated it. A former member of Taraba State House of Assembly Kabiru Dodo, who represented the First Lady, said Nigeria must be healthy, because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Dodo said the collaboration between Future Assured and Sir Emeka Offor Foundation was based on shared vision and mission to serve humanity. Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Anthony Jellason, received the equipment on behalf of Governor Darius Ishaku. ...

A STATEMENT BY THE COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS LED BY HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) ON FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST NIRSAL PLC INTRODUCTION Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate of the Realm, we humbly welcome you all to this media event organised by a coalition of 16 organisations drawn from all across Nigeria but spearheaded by the prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). We want to first and foremost let you know that this briefing session is completely our independent initiative in our capacity as a coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations who have no political affiliations but are passionate about achieving just and equitable development in our dear country. Our coalition is a team of professionals who have come together to advance the single agenda of building a formidable and economically strong united Nigeria. We need not belabour you with our strong track record collec...

Hundreds of Tiv were evacuated from Kurmi Local Government Area under the escort of the Army and police and moved to Takum Local Government Area where the Tiv/Jukun crisis has not reached. Daily Trust findings revealed that the state government provided logistics and security for the evacuation of the Tiv. It was gathered that some youths at Maraban Baissa, the area where the Tiv/Ichen crisis started last month had threatened to attack the Tiv in Kurmi area. The Tiv in their number, including women and children, were moved out on several trucks escorted by security agents to Takum.  It was further gathered that thousands of Tiv have also fled their homes in Donga and Bali local government areas as the crisis spread from the southern zone to the central zone of the state. A source at Maraban Baissa, Mr Matthew Samuel, told Daily Trust in a phone interview that all the Tiv people living in Kurmi and Donga have fled the area and they have crossed to Takum and Gassol...