Anxiety as hoodlums kill school principal, seven other in Taraba

In a tragic incident along the Takum-Wukari Road in Taraba State, at least seven passengers, including a school principal and a driver, were killed by gunmen suspected to be bandits at Sai village.

The principal, Mr. Samuel Mbapuun, who had recently been transferred from GDSS Takum to Ibi local government area, was traveling with other passengers when the attack occurred.

The assailants emerged from the bush armed with guns and machetes, targeting the travelers. Seven passengers were killed in the assault, but a woman and a baby were spared.

The gunmen also attacked nearby farmers working in the area.

In a related development, three individuals were reportedly lynched by irate youths in Takum town, the headquarters of Takum local government area, in apparent retaliation for the attack on the travelers.

The incident has heightened tensions in the region, prompting calls for increased security measures.

News360 Nigeria gathered that immediately after the attack at Sai village, irate youths from Takum started rioting in Takum town, a situation that led to the lynching of three persons at Wukari junction within Takum.

A famer, who was also a victim of the attack, Mr. Iorapuu Pila, who spoke to our correspondent on phone, said the bandits came out of the forest located near Sai village along Takum-Wukari Road to attack the vehicle that was conveying the passengers from Takum to Wukari at about 7:23am on Monday.

Pila, who is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Sai, said himself and others were working on their farm lands close to where the incident occurred when the incident happened.

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“We were at work when the bandits numbering over 10 on motorcycles carrying guns and machetes came out of the bush to attack a vehicle that was conveying passengers from Takum to Wukari.

“Before we could flee from the area, some of the bandits rushed at us, attacking us with machetes, nine of us were injured,” Pila narrated.

Information available from Takum revealed that there was serious tension over the killings.

When contacted, the Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Gambo Kwache, confirmed the incident, saying the Police Command was on top of the situation.