Vigilantes attack traveling bus in Taraba, seven passengers dead, others missing
By Innocent Raphael
After an alleged vigilante attack on a bus in transit, seven dead passengers have been reportedly found in a Taraba State forest.
The vehicle was said to have been enroute Zaki Biam in Benue State to Maihula in Bali local government area of Taraba State on Tuesday.
Narrating his ordeal, the bus driver, Jimen Angera, disclosed that vigilantes attacked the bus at Gamkwe village in Mararaba-Baisa of Donga, a local government area of the state, while he was heading to Maihula.
Angera stated that the vigilantes were in large numbers and armed with guns, machetes and other light weapons when they attacked his vehicle.
Adding that 15 passengers were initially taken hostage by the protesting vigilantes, Angera revealed that the bus conductor, himself and two others managed to escape.
He narrated: “I loaded 18 passengers from Zaki/Biam, immediately after Mararaba, I saw many people in vigilante group’s uniforms, I suspected something was wrong and 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 to them, some of the vigilantes started shouting, ‘kill all of them, it is their people that killed our members, they started attacking the passengers and inflicting machete cuts on them.
“They forced us out of the vehicle and made us lie face down. My bus was still on and when I discovered that it was getting out of hand, I jumped into the bus and abandoned the passengers. My conductor also followed me, all of us had machete cuts. Blood was coming out of our bodies. That was how we escaped and left the passengers in their hands.”
Confirming the incident to newsmen, Chairman of the Doonga Local Government Area, Hon Ezra Voka, disclosed he was already in the nearby forest searching for the victims, as he assured more information will be related to the public in due course.
Meanwhile, the state Police Commissioner, David Iloyonomon, confirmed that his men found seven bodies in the bush within the area while on patrol to control a crisis between Ichen and Tiv.
Iloyonomon revealed that trouble started on the 12th (Tuesday) of March 2024 when Ichen youths from the Mararaba area of Donga reported to the police area command that a Pastor and his church member were missing while on their way to the church.
“On Tuesday at about 3pm, 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, being Wednesday, while our men were on patrol to maintain law and order, they found seven dead bodies of five women, a man and a baby. They have been evacuated to the police station,” he stated.
