Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo

The council chairmen of Wukari and Takum local governments, Mr. Daniel Adi Mr. Shiban Tikari respectively, narrowly escaped death in two separate attacks at different locations in the state on Sunday.

Hon. Daniel Adi of Wukari LGC told our correspondent on phone that he came under attack from suspected Fulani herdsmen around Gidin Dorowa a town in Wukari local government area of the state.

According to him, some suspected Fulani herdsmen had on Saturday evening killed a Tiv man on his farm at a village close to Gidin Dorowa and that upon receipt of the information he mobilised his security team to the area.

“On sighting me and the security team which was made up of the Police and Civil Defense, they opened fire, but the security overpowered them and they took to their heels.

“It was in the course of pursuing them that we apprehended three Fulani men who later confessed that they were called for reinforcement by the Fulani militia that attacked us.

“Those arrested have already been taken to the State Police command in Jalingo for further investigation,” he said.

The council chairman, who linked the  unprovoked attacks in his domain to the rumour early last week of arms delivery in Jibu, a village in Wukari LGA by a yet to be identified helicopter, called for the deployment of more security for a thorough investigation.

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Relatedly, gunmen suspected to be armed robbers in the early hours of Sunday whisked away the driver of the Council Chairman of Takum, Hon. Shiban Tikari, who was later released.

Hon. Emmanuel Bello, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Governor Darius Ishaku, told our correspondent that the attack happened when the council chairman was going to Donga for a thanksgiving service.

Bello, who said the chairman was driving in another car with his Donga counterpart in a convoy when the incident occurred along Takum-Chanchanji-Wukari road, called for reinforcement of the Joint Benue/Taraba military task force to help check the level of insecurity in the area.

But the Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Misal, who confirmed the incident, said it was a robbery attack and that the council chairman was not personally involved, but his personal car was snatched by the robbers.

On the attack in Wukari, the Police spokesman said he was yet to be briefed by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area.

Residents told our correspondent that armed robbers had in an early hours operation along Takum-Chanchanji road, robbed and killed a young lady in one of the commercial cars that attempted to escape.

“The chairman’s car passed here in Amadu alone. It was not in a convoy. So, it’s possible the council chairman was ahead in a different vehicle,” a local resident said.

This incident is coming barely five days after the burial of the Taraba lawmaker Hon. Hosea Ibi, who was abducted in Takum and was later killed by his abductors, raising great concerns over the security situation in the state that seems to deteriorate by the day.