‘Bandits from Cameroon overrunning our communities’ – Taraba lawmaker
Rikupki Urenyang, the Minority Whip and representative of Ussa State Constituency, has raised a red flag concerning the invasion of several communities in his constituency by bandits from the Republic of Cameroon.
Identifying Fikyu, Kpambo, and Kpambo-Puri as the most severely affected, Urenyang expressed concern over the existence of bandit camps and attacks on vulnerable communities.
“Ussa is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of boys and girls are reportedly being killed daily,” he stated.
Highlighting the death toll, he added: “Over 500 persons have been killed in Ussa by bandits and terrorists in the last few years. The murderers come in from Cameroon via the border communities and have continued to launch attacks on our vulnerable communities.”
The lawmaker pleaded with the Federal Government to urgently deploy the military to strategic locations in Ussa, particularly the Kpambo-Yashi area of Kumbo ward, where recent attacks claimed five lives.
He urged stakeholders to set aside politics and collaborate with federal authorities to decisively address the escalating security crisis, emphasising the impact on food production as Ussa is known for its contributions to grain and fruit production.
Commending the state governor for his concern, Urenyang stressed the need for additional efforts to address the escalating crisis.
In response, the police spokesperson for the state, Abdullahi Usman, acknowledged the cross-border crimes and assured that the command is working to deploy more officers to vulnerable communities.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to collaborate with Cameroonian border patrol police to curb the sporadic attacks.
“The Commissioner of Police is also looking at the command deploying more mobile policemen from MOPOL 67 to those border areas because of the vulnerability of communities in that axis,” he added.
