OGUN, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Seven of the travellers in an 18 seater bus attacked by armed men in Taraba State have been found dead.
Recall Voiceofnaija.ng had earlier reported the attack launched towards an 18 passenger Bus along Maihula in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State
According to available information, among those killed were a baby and a woman.
The bus loaded passengers from Zaki/Biam in Benue State and was heading to Maihula in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State on Tuesday when it was attacked.
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Conforming the development, the Commissioner, Taraba State Police Command, David Iloyonomon said that his men found seven bodies in the bush within the area while on patrol to douse tension between Ichen and Tiv tribes, who are mutually suspicious of each other on the incident.
Iloyonomon revealed that trouble started on March 12, 2024 when Ichen youths from Mararaba area of Donga reported to the Police Area Command in the area that a pastor and his church member were missing while on their way to the church.
He said: “Trouble started when on Tuesday at about 3pm, the youths found the decomposing bodies of both the pastor and the other person.
“The Ichen youths went into town and started attacking the Tiv residents.
“It took the efforts of our men to rescue some of the Tiv people to Takum for safety.
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“Today being Wednesday, while our men were on patrol to maintain law and order to ensure that peace returns, they found seven dead bodies of five women, one man and a baby.
“They have been evacuated to the police station.”
The driver of the bus, Jimen Angera, who received machete cuts, recounts his ordeal of the incident: saying he loaded 18 passengers from Zaki/Biam and on getting to Maraba Donga, he saw many people in vigilante officers’ uniform.
“There were many and “I suspected something was wrong so I stopped.
“One of the villagers told me that I should go because two members of the vigilante group were killed by kidnappers, that is why they gathered, there is no problem I should proceed.
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“As I moved closer, some of the Vigilante Group officers started shouting: ‘Kill all of them, it is their people that killed our members.’
“They started attacking the passengers and cutting them with machetes.
“They asked all of us to step down from the vehicle, forcing us to lay face down; My bus was still on.
“When I discovered that it was getting out of hand, I decided to jump into the bus and left the passengers.
“My conductor also followed me.
“All of us were cut with machetes and blood was rushing out of our bodies.
“That was how we escaped and left the passengers in their hands.”