Taraba: Monitor strangers coming into your communities, Gov Ishaku warns residents

Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has repeated his appeal to Taraba residents to remain watchful and carefully check outsiders entering their areas.

The governor, who expressed astonishment and regret on Thursday after learning of the ambush that killed six troops from the 93 Battalion, branded the conduct as uncalled for.

The troops and their commander were ambushed by bandits during a military operation in Tati village, Takum Local Government Area, Taraba. Their whereabouts are still unknown as of the time of reporting this story.

The governor voiced concern over the fate of the Battalion’s commanding officer, who was proclaimed missing following the operation, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bala Dan Abu.

According to the governor, the attack on residents and police officers in Takum, which triggered the 93 Battalion’s response, “indicated that the bandits had grown even more desperate than ever to kill and maim innocent people.”

While praising the soldiers’ bravery in responding quickly to distress calls from civilians in bandit-infested areas, he grieved that the operation ended in the “unfortunate loss of six individuals military officers and the uncertainty over the whereabouts of the commanding officer.”

While expressing his condolences to the military and the immediate and extended relatives of the slain military members, he also encouraged Nigerians to pray for the safe return of the Battalion’s Commanding Officer.