Taraba passenger bus attack: police confirm death of Seven Passenger
Callistus Agwaza, Jalingo
The Commissioner of police, Taraba State Command CP David Iloyonomon has confirm the recovery of Seven bodies of passengers who were attacked Tuesday evening on their way to Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State in the bush within the area while on patrol to control crisis between Ichen and Tiv.
Iloyonomon revealed that trouble started on the 12th (Tuesday) of March 2024 when Ichen youths from Mararaba area of Donga reported to Police Area Command in the area that a Pastor and his church member were missing while on their way to the church.
“On Tuesday at about 3:pm, the youths found the decomposing bodies of both the Pastor and the other person, that was when trouble started, the Ichen youths went into town and started attacking the Tiv, residents, it took the efforts of our men to rescue some of the Tiv people to Takum for safety.
“Today been Wednesday, while our men were on patrol to maintain law and order to ensure that peace return, they found seven dead bodies of 5 women, 1 man and a baby, they have been evacuated to the police station. Iloyonomon stated
Seven dead bodies of passengers including women, a baby and one man have been found in a Taraba forest after an attack on 18 seater bus that loaded passengers from Zaki/Biam Benue State to Maihula in Bali local government area of Taraba state on Tuesday
The heavily armed men suspected to be Vigilante Group attack the bus at Gamkwe village, located at Maraban-Baisa in Donga local government area of the state while the driver of the bus was heading to its destination (Meihula).
Earlier, the driver of the Bus Mr. Jimen Angera who escaped the scene of the incident with Machetes injuries while speaking with our correspondent on phone said the arm Vigilante Group were in large numbers with guns, machetes and other light arms.
While revealing his experience with the attackers, Angera said he left all his passengers in the hands of the armef men to escape for his life.
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“I loaded 18 passengers from Zaki/Biam, immediately after Maraba, I saw many people in Vigilante Group uniforms, they were many, I suspected something was wrong, I then stopped, one of the villagers told me that I should go, two members of the Vigilante Group were killed by kidnappers that is why they gathered, there is no problem I should proceed.
“As I moved closer, some of the Vigilante Group started shouting, kill all of them, is their people that killed our members, they started attacking the passengers and cutting them with machetes,
“They removed all of us, forced us to lie and facedown, my bus was still on, when I discovered that it was getting out of hands, I decided to jump up to the bus and left the passengers, my conductor also followed me, all of us were cut with machetes and blood was rushing out of our bodies, that was how we escaped and left the passengers in their hands” Angera revealed.
The chairman Doonga local government council Hon. Ezra Voka confirm the incident to Journalists on phone, he said he was already in the nearby forest in search for the victims.
“Please my friend, am already in the bush in search for the missing people, we can’t talk much now till when I get more information from here” Voka stated.
