Suspected Herdsmen Kill Six Villagers In Taraba Community

Six victims have been reportedly killed as suspected herdsmen attacked villages in Maihula ward, a community in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Several people were also injured in the attack which occurred in Mararaban Azagwa and Alele villages on Sunday, June 16, 2024,

A resident of the area, Isah Abdul, told Punch on Monday that trouble started when a man who was drunk and high on drugs he took at Maihula market was found dead on his way home.

“It is an unfortunate development. The relatives of the deceased, who later recovered his corpse, accused the Tiv villagers where the man died of being responsible for the death of their brother,” Abdul said.

“There was nothing actually to point to the fact that the man was killed. He might have probably died from complications arising from the alcohol and the drugs he took.

“But his relatives, who suspected that he was killed by the Tiv villagers, mobilised and started attacking and killing people."

The chairman, of Taraba State Tiv Traditional Council, Zaki David Gbaa, who briefed journalists in Bali on the development, said six people were killed and four others are in critical condition in the hospital.

Gbaa identified those killed to include; Aondohemba Salemkaan, Tersuugh Dondo, Terkuma Mbatim, Kumaga Ujam Asaaga Nev and Tersoo Memga.

The Tiv leader, who condemned the attack, however, commended the security agencies for their quick intervention to calm the situation.

He expressed confidence that the attackers would be arrested by security agencies and prosecuted, especially since all of them lived in the community and could easily be identified.

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP Gambo Kwache, who confirmed the attack in a telephone interview, however, said only two corpses were recovered by the police.

Gambo noted that no arrest has been made so far, but security operatives were combing the area in search of the attackers.