By Chimezie Godfrey
The Taraba State Government has once again cried out over the incessant killings and what it called suspected military conspiracy in the state
Mr.Bala Dan Abu, senior special assistant toTaraba State Governor cried out on behalf of the state government during a press conference in Abuja Friday. He said the people of Taraba state have had a very bad time in the hands of the Military sent to them. He alleged that military personnel in Taraba do not show respect for the person and office of the governor of Taraba state.
“Most of the time they do what they like, and what they do is never in the best interest of the people. We are thinking that this is a kind of conspiracy by the military to sabotage the peace effort in Taraba state, he alleged.
He spoke about the operation “AYEM APKATUMA” which the president recently initiated in the state, saying,”That the military instead of disarming the people who are really armed: that is the herdsmen who were carrying AK-47,they decided to invade the bedrooms of the law abiding indigenes of the state and were collecting machetes and kitchen knives instead of AK-47.They were just humiliating and embarrassing people.”
Abu cited the issue of the air-craft carrying arms which landed around Wukari in Taraba State recently;an which was investigated and confirmed by the governor.But this was denied by the military and they did everything to rubbish the alarm that was raised, he said.
“A few days later we discovered that the arms that came into the state was used to kill the people and one of them who had about ten of those guns confessed that the plane actually brought guns into the state and (they) have been distributed, and that very soon they will be used, and they started using them, and the killings started around that axis were the plane landed.
“All of these show that there is a conspiracy from the top to kill the people. And that is why some people have been raising alarm, and (that is) what also led to the statement by the elder satesman, Gen. T.Y Danjuma during the convocation in Taraba state University.
“We want to correct the impression, that T.Y Danjuma spoke out of frustration because the military are not doing what they are supposed to do. He spoke not only for the people of Taraba, he spoke on behalf of Nigerians.
“We reject the idea of the military to localize what the statesman has said, he spoke on behalf of Nigerians,” he asserted.
Moreso, Abu said that the Governor of Taraba state is very sensitive to the security situation of the state.”Plans are on the way to establish three pilot ranches in the state, others will take a cue from that.
“The Governor is very mindful of the people especially the herdsmen.The people perpetrating the killings are not the usual herdsmen, but rather armed militia men,” he concluded.
