It is alleged that despite the presence of soldiers, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen Wednesday wiped out a family of four members in a midnight attack on Mbayi, Takum local government area of Taraba state.
Two weeks ago, General Theophilus O. Danjuma (rtd) had accused the military of collusion with killer herdsmen to kill civilians, in which the military authorities promptly rejected the statement.
Shiban Tikare, chairman of the council, who confirmed the incident said a nine-month old baby survived when the attackers stormed the village around 2 a.m, day, and slaughtered the four family members who were asleep.
“We heard gunshots around 1a.m. along Takum-Ussa Road and while we were making efforts to mobilise policemen to the area, we heard sporadic gunshots at Mbiya Central, a community just on the outskirts of Takum town here.
“By the time we got there, a family of five; a man, his wife and two children were slaughtered like chicken.
“A baby mysteriously survived the attack. The attackers, whom we suspect to be Fulani herdsmen, also attacked Basam, a village close to General Theophilus Danjuma’s farm and set the whole village ablaze,” said Tikare.
The chairman lamented that killings are going on in the area, despite the extension of Exercise Ayem Akpatuma (Cat Race) in the area.
According to him, instead of combing the villages to flush out the attackers, “the army was busy brutalising” his people in the town, and added that his people “were disappointed with the exercise” he said is not “yielding the desired results.”
ASP David Misal, Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the attack in Takum but said the casualty figures were still not clear, as at Tuesday evening.
