Tag: Taraba State

Taraba State Gets New Police Commissioner

 

Taraba State has gotten a new Commissioner of Police, CP. Ahmed Mohammed Azare, following the retirement of CP Alkasim Sanusi FSI.

Sanusi had retired on December 31, 2019, handing over the responsibility of the Command to Azare.

Azare holds a B.A in education from the Bayero University Kano.

According to a statement signed by DSP David Misal (MNIPR), the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the state, he is the 24th CP in the state and prior to his appointment, he was the Commissioner of Police in-charge of Servicom Force Headquarters Abuja.

“He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on the 03/03/1990 as cadet superintendent of Police and rose to the present rank having served in so many formations within the force in various capacities which include DPO Nguru Yobe State, DPO Gwoza Borno State, Area Commander Funtuwa Katsina State, DC CID Kaduna and Kano State etc.

“He is a professional Police officer with vast experience in policing both within and outside Nigeria,” the statement added.

The Force also appealed to the public to accord him maximum cooperation as he is determined to partner with the communities in pursuing a more effective and vigorous community policing.

Azare also warned criminal-minded individuals, as well as those who might be sponsoring them, to have a rethink and stay out of crime, stating that his leadership will clampdown on all criminal elements until offenders are apprehended and prosecuted.

Taraba Needs Peace To Grow And Develop, Says Governor Ishaku

Photos: Sodiq Adelakun/ChannelsTV

 

Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku has congratulated Tarabans who are alongside the entire global community celebrating the beginning of the new year 2020 today. He has also urged them to thank God in their various special ways for the privilege of witnessing the beginning of the new year.

Governor Ishaku said the year just ended was one of immense challenges for Taraba State.

He said, the communal crisis in Southern Taraba, kidnapping, herdsmen’s unprovoked aggression against Taraba people and other forms of crimes and criminality threatened the very foundation of the relative peace that his administration had achieved for the state.

Ishaku said it is gratifying to note that the end of the year 2019 and the beginning of 2020, has commenced on a very peaceful atmosphere.

READ ALSO: New Year: Governor Buni Grants Pardon To Six Inmates In Yobe

He said the credits for his achievement belongs to the government, security agencies and all the good people of Taraba State.

The governor further stated that it remains a joint responsibility to ensure the sustenance of the peace now prevailing in the state.

He urged all Tarabans to show tolerance, eschew bitterness and to forgive one another.

“Our diversities should be seen as a source of strength and not a reason to promote hatred and bitterness. Taraba State needs peace to grow and develop. Our resources may be inadequate to meet all our needs for rapid economic and infrastructural development but peace can make all the difference. Peace will pave the way for strategic planning for development. I will, therefore, remind you all even now, as I had always done in the past, to give me peace so I can give you development,” the governor stated.

Governor Ishaku further stated that the second phase of his rescue administration is now fully constituted with the appointment of commissioners and the presentation of the state appropriation bill for 2020.

He said his government is set to hit the ground running, adding that he will fastrack the development of the state and provide for the welfare and well-being of the people under his Rescue Agenda template.

The governor urged all to pray for the administration and against crisis and conflicts as the new decade heralded by the year, 2020 gets underway.

“As we mark the beginning of this new year and a new decade, let us all resolve to contribute in a special way to make our state great.”

Governor Ishaku Visits Power Minister Over Mambilla Project

Photos: Sodiq Adelakun/ChannelsTV

 

The Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku on Monday visited the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to discuss the abandoned Mambilla Power station in the state and how to complete the project which was anticipated in 2018.

Details of the meeting will be updated shortly. See Photos Below.

Gunmen Kidnap Nursing Mother In Taraba, Demand N20m Ransom

Taraba Assembly Holds Last Plenary, Remembers Departed Members

 

A nursing mother identified as Sabina David has been kidnapped by gunmen in Taraba State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday at the Kasuwan Bera area of Ardo-Kola Local Government.

Describing the incident, her husband, David Akipa, said the abductors came in their numbers shooting sporadically and on hearing the gunshots approaching his house, he fled, leaving his wife and the newborn.

According to him, when he returned home after some hours, both the wife and newborn were nowhere to be found.

Read Also: Armed Men Abduct Three Persons In Taraba

He further stated that he later got a call from the kidnappers who were demanding a N20 million ransom for their release.

Also speaking with Channels Television, an eyewitness, Gambo Danjuma, explained that the operation and shooting lasted for over two hours without any interference from security agencies resulting in many of the residents scampering for safety.

When contacted about the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer David Misal said the matter is yet to be reported to his desk.

Five Killed, Several Injured As Gunmen Attack Taraba Communities

Taraba Assembly Holds Last Plenary, Remembers Departed Members

 

Five persons have been killed by gunmen in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The chairman of the council Mr Daniel Grace confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Wednesday.

According to him, two were killed at Numa village, one at Toshan, while the other two were killed at Yoyina.

He further stated that many others were injured in the course of the attack and are currently receiving treatment.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, David Misal, however, said that only three were killed and that is what was reported to him by the Divisional Police Officer of Wukari.

“A commercial vehicle travelling from the East to Mubi in Adamawa State was shot at sporadically by suspected militia at a village near Wukari in Taraba State and a passenger was killed in the process,” he said.

“We also got information that two persons were killed on their farmlands in Wukari LGA”.

Misal further stated that the police has since been drafted to the affected areas to curtail further breakdown of law and order.

Tiv/ Jukun Crisis: Taraba Govt Holds Security Meeting With Stakeholders

Taraba Assembly Holds Last Plenary, Remembers Departed Members

 

The Taraba state government has held a security meeting to bring to an end the unabated clashes between the Tiv and Jukun tribes in the state.

The meeting which is a follow up to the one held in Abuja, was held behind closed doors and some recommendations were made.

Briefing journalists shortly after the meeting, the state’s Deputy Governor Haruna Manu disclosed that a committee will be set up on Monday, September 16, where 15 persons from both Tiv and Jukun will present their interests.

Manu added that a joint patrol team involving all security agencies in the state will be set up with dedicated lines for distress calls to curb kidnapping and banditry.

Beyond that, he also noted that another recommended was that both Benue and Taraba states will liaise with the National Boundary Commission for adequate demarcation of their boundaries in order to minimise the conflict between the two tribes.

DPR Seals 12 Filling Stations In Taraba

 

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has sealed 12 petrol stations in Taraba State for none compliance to its rules of operation.

The Operations Controller, Jalingo field office, Mr Jeremiah Mashat, disclosed this on Wednesday.

According to him, some of the stations were guilty of under-dispensing the product and selling higher than the actual price.

Meanwhile, he also stated that the agency has granted site clearance for two locations for the installations of Liquefied Petroleum Gas plants in the state.

According to Mashat, the exercise is the first of its kind since the establishment of their office accommodation in Jalingo, in April 2019.

Before now, they usually come from Yola, the Adamawa State capital, to check client compliance, quality, quantity, price enforcement and operational safety as well as licencing of the facilities.

Mashat also disclosed that their campaign is not restricted to only filling stations but will soon extend to Gas retailers.

“We are going to extend our surveillance to the nooks and crannies of Taraba to ensure that Taraba State citizens feel our presence in the state,” he said.

One dead, Four Injured As Gunmen Attack Farmers In Taraba

Taraba Assembly Holds Last Plenary, Remembers Departed Members

 

One person has been reportedly killed and four others injured after gunmen attacked a farm along Kasuwan Haske Tanaye, in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

According to the Chairman of the Council Shiban Tikari, the five persons who are all family members were harvesting their crops when the bandits stormed the farm and opened fire on them.

He said one of the victims died after he sustained serious gunshot wounds, while the remaining four are undergoing treatment in one of the hospitals located in the area.

Read Also:  Two Robbery Suspects Arrested In Lagos

The area which is the home town of both Governor Darius Ishaku and the former Minister of Defense, General (rtd) Theophilus Y. Danjuma, has been notorious for various crimes ranging from kidnappings, communal clashes, to armed robbery.

The Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal, said the suspects are yet to be identified but more patrol teams have been deployed to the area for possible arrest.

IRT Arrests Another Member Of Wadume’s Kidnap Gang

 

As Nigerians await the submission of report by the 7- man investigative panel probing the killing of three police men in Ibi, Taraba State, another member of the arrested millionaire kidnapper Hamisu Balla alias ‘Wadume’ has been arrested in Wukari area of the state.

Channels Television gathered that the home of suspect simply identified as ‘Uche’ was busted in the early hours by a detachment of operatives from the Inspector general of police intelligence response team drawn from units across the country.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Re-Arrested Taraba Kidnap Suspect Speaks About Capture

This latest arrest now makes it six members of the gang in custody of the police with several arms recovered.

The team also recovered thirteen vehicles and identified over twenty houses allegedly owned by the kingpin.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, who leads the IRT, presented the gang leader Hamisu Balla before a military investigative panel for interrogations last week.

Submission of a report by the 7-man investigative panel to the Chief of Defence Staff is expected to take place on Monday.

Taraba Govt Reviews Curfew Imposed On Jalingo, Other LGAs

File Photo: Women In Taraba

 

The Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku has reviewed the existing curfew imposed on some parts of Jalingo and Ardo Kola Local Government Areas of the state.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity Bala Dan-Abu, the new curfew would take effect between 12:00 am and 6:00 am daily.

He, however, noted that the review does not affect Keke Napep operators and their curfew remains between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am.

The governor further directed security agencies in the state to arrest and ensure the prosecution of Keke Napep operators or anyone who violates the restriction order.

Read Also: Extra Judicial Killing: Defence Investigative Team Visits Taraba

The development comes two days after the panel set up by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters to investigate the killing of three police officers and a civilian by soldiers in the state, arrived in Jalingo.

Led by Rear Admiral Ibikunle Olaiya, the panel arrived at the Taraba Government House on Wednesday where they met with Governor Darius Ishaku behind closed doors.

Taraba Killing: Family Of Slain Police Inspector Demand Justice

 

Family members of late Mark Ediale, a police inspector who was one of those allegedly killed by army officers in Taraba State are demanding for justice.

At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the elder brother to the slain police officer, Andrew Ediale, said the family is not after any form of compensation from the government.

Rather, according to him, the family is only seeking a thorough investigation that will bring all the perpetrators to book.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government and international bodies to intensify efforts towards ensuring justice.

 

 

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Soldiers Killed Three Police Officers, One Civilian In Taraba – Force Spokesperson

Army Reacts To Killing Of Police Officers [Full Statement]

The Nigeria Police Force through its spokesman, DCP Frank Mba had said that soldiers killed three officers of the Force and a civilian while on investigative activities within the Ibi area of Taraba.

According to him, the incident occurred when they went to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu who had been indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the State.

But the Acting Director Of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, troops of 93 Battalion Nigerian Army Takum, said they initially thought the officers were kidnappers and hence, exchanged fire with them, only to discover that they were members of an intelligence response team on a covert operation from Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Tiv/Jukun Crisis: Governor Ishaku Appeals To Warring Groups To Sheath Their Swords

LG Funds: Ishaku Agrees With NFIU, To Reduce Political Appointees
Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku (file photo)

 

The Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku has appealed to the Tivs and Jukuns in the state to sheath their swords and embrace peace.

He made the appeal in a statewide broadcast while wishing Muslims a happy Sallah celebration.

According to him, his administration has consistently synergised and engaged with the leadership of the two faiths in the state in a bid to finding religious fulfilment.

Read Also: Federal University Wukari Shut Down Over Alleged Kidnap Of Tiv Students

He, therefore, appealed to the groups to see each other as brothers and sisters, adding that violence does no one any good.

Speaking further, the governor reminded Muslims in the state of the need to make sacrifices and imbibe the great lessons of humility and tolerance as exemplified by the great prophet of Islam.