Bandits k!ll lecturer, deputy registrar, other in auto attack

Armed assailants have taken the lives of five passengers along with the driver of a commercial vehicle traveling from the Takum Local Government Area to Wukari LGA in Taraba State.

The tragic incident occurred at a border region between Taraba and Benue states on the Takum-Wukari road at approximately 7:23 AM on Monday, August 12, 2024.

Reports indicate that the attackers, believed to be bandits, emerged from the nearby bush close to Sai village, armed with firearms and machetes, and launched an assault on the passengers, with the exception of a woman and an infant who were spared.

Following the attack on the passengers, the bandits also targeted farmers working in proximity to the scene of the incident. Among the deceased were a lecturer from the Federal University Wukari and the Deputy Registrar of the Taraba State School of Health Technology.

Additionally, a secondary school principal, Mr. Samuel Mbapuun, who had recently been transferred from a school in Takum to one in Wukari, was also among the victims. He was reportedly en route to report to his new assignment when he was killed.

It was noted that the lecturer was returning to Wukari after spending the weekend with his family in Takum. A local source indicated that there is significant unrest in the community following the deaths of the travelers, all of whom were residents of the town.

The source also mentioned that military personnel have been deployed to patrol certain areas around the town to help restore order. The spokesperson for the State Police Command, DSP Kwache Gambo, has confirmed the identities of the victims to the press.