Herdsmen slaughter man, woman, 2 children like chickens

Four members of a family were brutally slaughtered like chickens by suspected herdsmen at Mbiya village in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.

According to the Chairman of Takum LGA, Shiban Tikare, only the 9-month-old baby of the family was spared by the attackers as Sunday Sabo, his wife and two of their children were slaughtered in their sleep in the early hours of Wednesday.

Tikare said, "The attackers invaded the village at night and slaughtered four members of a family who were deep asleep.

"We heard gunshots around 1 am along Takum-Ussa road. While we were making efforts to mobilize policemen in the area, we heard sporadic gunshots at Mbikka Central, a community just at the outskirt of the town.

"By the time we got there, four people were slaughtered like chickens - a man, his wife, and two children. A baby mysteriously survived the attack."

The state's Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), David Misal, confirmed the attack, but said that the casualty figure remained unclear, disclosing that the attackers didn't steal anything from the household.

While also confirming the attack, Governor Darius Ishaku's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bala Dan Abu, revealed that the attackers numbered over 20.

He said, "The family was asleep at the time the attackers stormed the community. Sources said they were more than 20, all of them armed with guns and cutlasses. The herds later headed for Bassa village where they also set houses ablaze."

While lamenting the ease with which the attackers got away, Tikare said troops of the Nigerian Army deployed for Exercise Ayem Akpatuma (Cat Race) have been failing in their sworn duties to secure lives properly.

Exercise Ayem Akpatuma

To combat growing unrest in the country amid a spate of worrying criminal activities, the Army launched Exercise Ayem Akpatuma in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger in February 2018.

While the exercise was intended to run until March 31, 2018, it has been extended for two more months in Taraba state to further consolidate on the gains achieved and facilitate the Army's effort of ridding the affected areas of militants and other criminal elements.

During the operation, troops engage in raids, cordon and search operations, road blocks, show of force and checkpoints to combat criminal activities.