27 Killed, 80 Injured As Wukari Boils

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen yesterday attacked Nwonko village of Wukari local government area of Taraba State, reportedly killing 27 locals with around 80 injured and wreaking havoc on the community. The attacks which began at the early hours of the day, was said to have led to massive destructions of farmland and property, leaving several persons with various degrees of injuries.
Speaking on the attack, member representing Wukari constituency at the state House of Assembly, Daniel Ishaya Gani, said most of the casualties were women and children. He said the attackers stormed the village in large numbers after attacking a nearby village.
“At the beginning, we thought the attackers were Boko Haram from Maiduguri because of their large number. It was later on that we discovered that they are herdsmen,” he said. He blamed the lukewarm attitudes of the security operatives especially the military men in charge of the area to the incessant attacks in the area, alleging that the military commander is reluctant in drafting his men to crisis areas.
Gani identified refusal of the state government to fulfil its part of the earlier agreement by paying compensation to the herdsmen over their missing cows as one of the major reasons for the continued attacks.
When contacted, Taraba police spokesman, ASP Joseph Kwaji, confirmed the attack but said he could not ascertain the exact casualty figures, adding that 9 bodies have been recovered so far