Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
In a rare outburst, former Minister of Defence and elder statesman Gen Theophilus Danjuma (retd) recently accused the Nigerian army of allegedly colluding with bandits to kill and maim the people of Taraba State and others outside the state.
He went further to say that relying on the military for defence against the bandits was suicidal and called on the people to rise up and defend themselves before they are completely annihilated.
Danjuma’s outburst no doubt generated mixed reactions across the country with the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), describing the remarks as unfortunate coming from someone of his calibre.
But other Nigerians, including serving lawmakers have hailed Danjuma for been courageous enough to speak out against injustice in the country.
In a press statement issued by the DHQ, the military authorities accused the Taraba State government of refusal to cooperate with the army in the ongoing operation ‘Ayem a Kpatema (Cat Race),’ insisting that the army remains neutral in its efforts to rid the area of illegal arms and ammunitions in an effort to bring an end to the farmers /herders’ crisis in the region.
Interestingly, Danjuma’s outbursts came only days after residents of Takum and Ussah local government areas accused the army operatives involved in the exercise ‘Ayem A Kpatuma (cat race)’ of brutality, bias and extortion in their communities.
Mr Rimamsikwe Karma, the chairman of Ussa council told journalists that the operation was causing more harm than good to the people of the state.
Karma explained that the soldiers were searching people’s houses and seizing knives, cutlasses and harassing them while heavily armed herdsmen were burning houses and killing people unhindered.
Similarly, Mr Shiban Tikari, the chairman of Takum council said that he had received series of complaints from his people that the soldiers were molesting many of them.
He said the commencement of the operation had rather witnessed resumed attacks by herdsmen with scores killed and many displaced.
“It is sad to note that the soldiers of excise ‘Cat Race’ are harassing our people in the towns while herdsmen are attacking and killing our people in the rural communities.
“We expect the soldiers to go into the bush and help us flush out these killer herdsmen and kidnappers instead of beating up people in the town.
“The herdsmen that are coming into our community now since the commencement of this exercise, with machine guns are not the traditional herdsmen we know and lived with over the years and the military is not doing anything to stop them from killing our people or to disarm them,” he said.
Mrs Jumai Andeyaba, a widow told newsmen that she left her house for burial only for soldiers to storm the house, harass her daughters and made away with her N150, 000, even though there was no weapon found in the house.
Many other victims including youth groups, religious leaders gave various complaints of how the army had brutalised their people either in their homes or on the streets in the towns.
When contacted, Lt Col Ibrahim Gambari, the Commanding Officer of Takum army barracks, said he had no authority to react to the allegations.
The Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku had also repeatedly accused the security operatives especially the military in the state of negligence while innocent people were killed and property destroyed by killer herdsmen.
During a courtesy visit to the state by the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Uche Secondus,Governor Ishaku said that as the chief security officer of the state, he was like “a king without a crown,” just as his appeals to security authorities in the state to forestall intended attacks have always fall on deaf ears, often at the expense of many lives and properties.
A source close to the Taraba State government who spoke to Daily Sun on condition of anonymity said that the state governor, Darius Ishaku had written severally to the presidency about the deteriorating security situation in the state without any positive result.
“I am aware that the governor wrote the presidency in January of 2016 to complain about the security threat to the state and the devastating effects of the crisis in Gassol, Bali, Ibi, Donga and Gashaka local government areas of the state involving Fulani herdsmen believed to have moved into the state from neighbouring countries.
“The governor clearly urged the president not to view the attacks as ethnic clashes as the attackers were taking over conquered communities and farm lands in large numbers. No visible reaction came from the presidency”, our source said.
The governor is also on record to have complained against the conduct of the Commanding Officer (CO), of 83 Battalion, Ada Barracks in Takum to relevant authorities without any action. The governor had accused the CO of complicity in the May 2017 attack on communities in Takum and Ussa where the attackers abandoned over 224 cows in the course of the attack.
Our correspondent gathered that the state government took possession of the cows and handed them over to the CO for safe keeping for the owners, as a ploy to arrest the perpetrators of the attack when they come to claim their cows.
To the greatest dismay of the state government, it was further learnt, the cows were handed over to the owners without any arrest made and without the foreknowledge of the state government.
With the foregoing and with the spate of attacks not abating, especially on Takum, the home town of the retired General Danjuma; little wonder that the war veteran came exploding so aggressively on the day he did.
However, while the reactions continue to pour in on Gen Danjuma’s outburst, disillusionment seems to be setting in for the residents of Takum and Ussah, where there are continued attacks and with their land taken over by armed herdsmen while the military allegedly continue to harass the residents with impunity.
From all indications, observers believe that, unless urgent actions are taken to address the situation, Taraba may actually “make Somalia feel like child’s play” as the General puts it.
“As such, it is imperative that the Nigerian government proactively take up its role of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians more seriously by protecting the people of Takum, Ussah and indeed Nigerians as a whole from the onslaught of bandits. And the military too must show some level of civility in their operations among civilian population so as to avoid a probable revolt that could lead to a total breakdown of law and order in the country,” one of the government officials, added.