By  Femi Bolaji, Jalingo

IT is a sad reality that rudely dawned on us with its attendant pains and agony. This is in reference to the unfortunate tale emanating from Taraba, the once serene, peaceful state, best known for its steady production and supply of foods to the nation. Now, its peace has been shattered and its fame as a peaceful and agrarian state, lost to evildoers who delight in the  use of bombs and other lethal weapons to attack selected targets in the state.  

With little or no help from security agencies, the people are now left at the mercy of these vicious criminal elements, with their fate hanging in the balance of uncertainty.

• Katsina: Police kill terrorists, rescue 3 women, recover weapons, motorcycles

With terrorists and bandits moving freely around and creating a sense of war and anarchy, anxiety and fear now reign supreme in most parts of the state. In a scene most common in films, the terrorists detonated bombs in two communities of the state last week and sent some innocent persons to their early graves. They also left many shell-shocked and fear-stricken till date.

 Before the bomb blast of last week, the last time anything of such magnitude occurred was sometime in January when fleeing kidnappers in Mutumbiyu, Gassol Local Government Area of the state threw an explosive device which blew off the roof of a Catholic Church. While Borno, Yobe and neighbouring Adamawa have been experiencing uncountable cases of bomb blasts due to the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists, Taraba has been comparatively immune from such attacks. But the serial detonation of explosive devices in the space of four days just last week has now sent an alarming signal of possible infiltration of the state by terrorists. 

Arewa Voice recalls that in December 2021, the state governor, Darius Ishaku, had while addressing monarchs at his office disclosed that Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were trying to set up cells in some parts of the state. Four months after this alert, the town of Iware in Ardo-Kola LGA and Nukkai in Jalingo, the state capital was rocked by bomb blasts that left six people dead and no fewer than 40 injured.

The two terror attacks targeted local beer (Burukutu) drinking spots and, according to witnesses, also had the same characteristics. The bubbling town of Iware, in Ardo-Kola LGA is known for its popular international cattle market, which brings together both buyers and sellers from within and outside Taraba State. Angwan Kassa community, which has a fence demarcation with the cattle market, was where the terrorists struck with the explosive device, specifically at Kasuwan Mashaya, where a cluster of shanties of local beer, alcoholic drinks, among others, are being sold. No fewer than six persons were killed while about 30 others sustained various degrees of injury.  

The owner of the local beer joint where the explosive device wreaked havoc, Elizabeth Danjuma, still remains in shock, unable to remember what happened and how it happened after losing consciousness for days as a result of the attack. When she regained some form of strength, she whispered inaudibly that the explosive device was brought to her bar inside a polythene bag by someone who feigned to be a customer.

She said: “Honestly, what I know is that I heard a sound like thunder strike and I blanked out. By the time I regained consciousness, I never knew I was wounded. I saw some others affected by the blast injured and that was how we were brought here to the hospital. I have been selling my drinks in this beer market for over one year and nothing like this has ever happened. The bomb was brought here in a polythene bag and the person told someone to keep it for him that he would be back. After he left the explosive device went off and caused the havoc we are all suffering now. I was not the one that collected the polythene bag from him.”

The community leader, Martins Lauje, told Arewa Voice that the unfortunate incident came to him as a rude shock. He said something of that nature had never happened before. “We just heard an explosion around 5.00pm and by the time I and others got here so many people had been injured. Three people died on the spot but the tally later rose to six. This community contributed about N70,000 to give first aid to those injured and move the victims to the hospital for urgent attention. This is a bad experience and we want government to checkmate activities of strangers in this area who are coming in on a daily basis.”

As if that blast in Iware was not enough, the evil men bombed another town in Nukkai, just 30 kilometres away from the first one, only a few days later and caused more shock and confusion in the state capital.  While no life was lost, about 11 persons sustained injuries from this attack which also occurred at a drinking joint. 

Residential buildings close to the site of the attack also had their windows shattered and their walls cracked from the impact of the explosive device.  

The bar attendant was, however, not too lucky as the blast left her partially deaf. An eyewitness, Patience Vengkhani, who passed in front of the bar with her sister  few seconds before the blast  said she was shocked at what happened. “It was around 8.02 pm when my sister and I passed this joint. Immediately we crossed the front of the bar heading our way, the explosive device went off. People were injured but thank God nothing happened to me and my sister.”

An elder in the community, Cosmos Zorai who said the bomb was dropped behind his house, wants government to take security in the state capital more serious.  He said: “The bomb was dropped behind my house where they sell Brukutu. 

Immediately we stepped out after the bomb exploded, I saw about eight people injured. The police later arrived and took them to the hospital.  You can see the window of the children room shattered and the roof also fell. The bang also left cracks on my building and other neighbours. 

This is very pathetic and we would want government to take the security of the state capital more serious.”

The bar attendant, Tabitha John, who is now partially deaf responded to questions written on a paper.  Narrating what happened she said she was about to serve her customer beer when the bomb exploded. “I was about to go pick a rubber cup to serve someone who requested for drink when the blast happened. Immediately I turned my back, I heard the loud sound and it hit my ear,” she said. 

While the state government has condemned the two attacks, it has, however, directed security agencies to commence stop and search operations.  It also advised residents of the state to avoid crowded places which, according to the state government, are soft targets.