Dreams of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State curbing bandit activities have been frustrated as the Commanding Officer of the 92 Battalion of the Nigerian Army was allegedly kidnapped by unknown gunmen.
Six soldiers and one mobile police personnel were also confirmed to have been killed in the incident that occurred on Tuesday at Takum Local Government Area of the state.
Confirming the incident to our state correspondent via telephone, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abdullahi Usman, said the commanding officer was “missing” in a joint operation that was carried out by the joint forces.
Apart from the “missing” commandant, six soldiers and one mobile police personnel, as made known by him, were killed by the terrorists.
Also confirming the report, the council chairman, Tikari Shiban, said “we are on top of the situation” adding that “soldiers are in the bush searching everywhere for the commander.”
Though he could not give the exact numbers of casualties figures, he admitted that some soldiers and policemen were also killed.
The bandits were said to have ambushed the joint forces on their way to a joint operation in a nearby village in the council.
Some residents of the council told our correspondent that no resident of the community is safe.
“If a whole Commanding Officer of a Battalion can be whisked away by bandits, that is to tell you that no one is safe in this our local government council,” one of them said.
Since the news of fleeing bandits from the neighbouring states of Borno and Yobe, as well as from the Northwestern part of the country, emerged, the residents have been worried.
A bomb blast, it would be recalled, was again recorded in Jalingo, the state capital on Tuesday night.
Though no casualties were reported, the situation has further plunged the people into palpable fears and confusion.
