One person was said to have been killed by yet to be identified armed men at Tor Musa village along Wukari-Takum road in Wukari Local Government Area, while an order by the governor to rename a village is being resisted in Gassol Local Government Area, both in Taraba State.
Caretaker Chairman of Wukari Local Government Council, Daniel Adigrace, confirmed the killing on Thursday evening to journalists in a telephone interview.
Adi said the armed gunmen ambushed the travellers who were coming to Wukari from Donga on a motorcycle, killing one woman, while the biker sustained injuries.
But the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Misal, told BusinessDay by phone that the victims were receiving treatment at a hospital in Donga.
“Information available to me indicates that people travelling from Donga to Wukari were attacked.
“I don’t have information about casualty figure yet, but I was told the victims are receiving treatment,” he added that he had no details about the attack.
Meanwhile, tension is mounting in Dan-Anacha village in Gassol Local Government Area of the State following a directive by the State Governor, Darius Ishaku for the immediate change of Government Secondary School Dan-Anacha to Kwararafa.
Residents of the village said the name change was an affront on the people of the area considering the fragile peace in the State.
In a circular dated 15th November 2019 and signed by the Executive Secretary, Post Primary School Management Board, David Mailafiya, said the name of the school in the former Dan-Anacha village should be changed to Kwararafa.
“I write to inform you that approval has been granted by the Executive Governor of Taraba State Arc. Darius Ishaku for the change of name of Dan-Anacha village to Kwararafa with immediate effect.
“By this directive, the name of the school in the former Dan-Anacha village would henceforth be named Government Day Secondary School Kwararafa.
“All signposts and relevant documents should be changed to the new name immediately please,” the circular read.
But the youth in the area accused Governor Ishaku of inviting trouble to the place, saying his action had proven allegations against him that he was only preaching peace in media but fuelling crisis in the State.
“This place is not Kwararafa, this is Dan-Anacha. Kwararafa is kilometres away from here, but the Governor wants to expand the territory of his kinsmen by all means, but this is not workable.
“His action is just to tell us the Tiv people who found the town that we don’t belong here. The Governor should stay action on the name change because it is capable of breaching the peace of the area,” Jude Amo, a resident of the place, told our correspondent by phone.
But in his reaction, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ishaku on Media and Publicity, Bala Dan-Abu, said the people should maintain peace as the name change was not a new development.
“The name change enjoyed the support of the government over two years ago when it was effected.
“Changing the name does not mean the people living in the area will be asked to pack and leave,” he explained.
“I want to call on the people of the area to support the government and not do things that would jeopardise the peace of the area.”
