Tension as 600 strangers arrive Taraba village in two trailers.

Tension as 600 strangers arrive Taraba village in two trailers.

Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo

Youths of Maihula town in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State have chased away over 600 strange people who arrived at the town in two trailers.

Newsmen gathered that the strangers, including women and children, were said to be from Zamfara State.

A source from Maihula town, Mallam Yakubu Bello, told newsmen they found the strangers in the town early in the morning, Thursday.

He said the strangers came into the town in two trailers and there was tension as their mission was unknown.

Bello added that this resulted in protests by youths.

He said because of growing cases of kidnapping and banditry, the villagers mostly youths all gathered and asked the strangers to move out of the town.

“As l am talking to you, the strangers are moving out of the town now,” he said.

Further findings revealed that hundreds of people from Zamfara State are now in WurboDaudu, Sodai and Boki an area located several kilometres off Jalingo-Bali road.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State command, DSP Usman Abdullahi, said the command is not aware of the movement of the strangers into Maihula town.

Recalled that Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State,  warned traditional rulers in the state against accommodating strangers in their domains.

He said that the warning has became necessary following an alleged plan by terrorists to take advantage of the state by establishing their camps in some local government councils of the state.

The governor, who handed down the warning while signing the 2022 appropriation bill into law, said his administration would no longer condone any traditional rulers who harbour unknown visitors in their domains.

"You must work tirelessly round the clock to frustrate terrorists from using their domains as camps to launch attacks on the state.

He emphasis on how the issue of security has been the priority of his administration.

“I have talked to the traditional chiefs not to allow strangers in their settlements again.”

"Some traditional rulers, have continued to play hosts to strange faces, some of whom he believed are terrorists.

“intelligent gathers that terrorists are trying to set up a camp in Taraba it  have been uncovered.

"Traditional rulers are supposed to “report any suspicious movements in their domains”, the reverse as expressed by him, has been the case.

He disclose that  terrorists from the neighbouring states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe as well as from some states of the northwest, including; Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto,  have begun to fashion out plans to make Taraba their base, a development, which the governor vowed to frustrate.