Following an attack on an 18-seater bus carrying passengers from Zaki/Biam in Benue State to Maihura in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State on Tuesday, March 12, by some unidentified shooters who may have been vigilante troops, at least fifteen people have been reported missing.
The attack took place in Gankwe village along the Donga-Mararaban-Baissa road in the state’s Donga Local Government Area, according to bus driver Mpuuga Mbaaye, who verified the occurrence to reporters. Mbaaye, who managed to flee with cuts with a machete, claimed that the armed men wearing vigilante gear attacked his bus.
“I loaded 18 passengers from Zaki/Biam in Benue State to Maihura in Taraba state, and on our way close to Mararaba, I saw many people in Vigilante uniform. I suspected something was wrong, so I parked the vehicle. One of the villagers who was passing by told me that I should proceed. According to him, two members of the Vigilante personnel were killed by kidnappers, and the vigilante came to carry their corpses.
“As I moved closer, some of the Vigilante personnel started shouting, ‘kill all of them,’ kill all of them,’ it’s their people (Tiv) that killed our members, and they started attacking the passengers and cutting them with machetes,
“They ordered the passengers out of the bus and forced them to lie facedown. I refused to come down, but when I discovered that it was getting out of hand, I decided to jump out of the bus and ran away. My conductor too followed me. They came after us cutting us with a machete, but we ran for our dear lives,” he said.
The incident has not yet been confirmed by the state police headquarters.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
