Bandits from Cameroon are taking control of our communities- Taraba lawmaker

The Minority Whip and Ussa State district representative, Rikupki Urenyang, has expressed alarm about the incursion of bandits from the Republic of Cameroon into multiple communities within his district.

Concerning the presence of bandit camps and attacks on vulnerable communities, Urenyang identified Fikyu, Kpambo, and Kpambo-Puri as the most badly affected.

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“Ussa is turning into a kid’s cemetery. According to reports, hundreds of boys and girls are slain every day,” he said.

He went on to highlight the death toll, saying, “In the last few years, terrorists and bandits have killed over 500 people in the United States.” The killers have persisted in attacking our weaker communities after entering through the border areas from Cameroon.

The senator implored the Federal Government to immediately send military personnel to key areas in Ussa, especially the Kumbo ward’s Kpambo-Yashi neighbourhood, where five people were killed in recent attacks.

In order to effectively manage the growing security issue, he called on stakeholders to put politics aside and work with federal authorities. He specifically emphasised the impact on food production because the United States is recognised for its contributions to the production of grains and fruits.

Urenyang praised the state governor for his attention but emphasised that more work needs to be done to address the growing situation.

State police spokesperson Abdullahi Usman responded by acknowledging cross-border crimes and giving the assurance that the command is striving to send more officers to communities that are at risk.

He emphasised the continued efforts to work with the border patrol police of Cameroon in order to stop the occasional attacks.

Because of the vulnerability of the villages along that axis, the Commissioner of Police is also considering the command’s deployment of more mobile police officers from MOPOL 67 to those border areas, he continued.