From Godwin Agia, Jalingo
Bandawa village in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State is gripped with tension following a fresh attack by suspected herders on Wednesday night.
The incident, which occurred around 9:45 p.m., led to significant destruction of property, with about ten houses set ablaze.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) James Lanshen said that the attackers fled the scene before the police team arrived.
However, residents reported that one person died in the chaos, and several homes were burnt to the ground.
“The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) received a distress call and immediately mobilized officers to the scene. However, the attackers had fled before the team arrived,” the Command’s spokesperson, James Lashen, said in a statement.
Lashen disclosed that about ten houses were set ablaze during the raid. He added that a TECNO mobile phone and other items recovered from the scene could help track down the perpetrators.
While police maintained that no casualties were officially recorded, residents told Citizenship Daily that one person died in the chaos, and several homes were burnt to the ground.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Bandawa’s youth leader, Ishaya Peter, described the attack as “unprovoked, barbaric, and condemnable.”
“We were seated discussing when we suddenly heard gunshots. People began running for safety,” he recounted. “We raised alarms to security agencies earlier in the day, but no action was taken.”
Peter alleged that the assailants were armed herders, some of whom were recognized by villagers. He lamented that the largely unarmed community could not mount any defense.
“One of our members died while trying to escape; he couldn’t swim across the river,” Peter said, adding that women and children had been evacuated from the village amid fears of further attacks.
Wednesday’s violence comes less than two months after a similar assault in Bandawa claimed three lives and left several others injured.
