Chairman, Senate Committee on Social Warfare and Poverty Alleviation, David Jimkuta, has raised an alarm over the rise in killings in Taraba state.

The Senator who is representing Taraba South Senatorial district, said over 700 persons have been killed in Ussa and Takum Local Government councils of the State within a mere three-month period.

Addressing journalists in his hometown of Wukari, the administrative headquarters of Wukari council, he expressed grave concern over the escalating banditry activities that have left more than 50 villages in Ussa and Takum in ruins.

The Senator particularly highlighted the dire situation in Ussa, where rampant banditry has forced all farmers to abandon their fields, raising alarms of an impending food scarcity crisis in the state.

Calling on security agencies to take decisive action, Senator Jimkuta urged for collaborative efforts with locals to gather accurate information and launch targeted operations against the bandits.

He emphasized the urgency of flushing out these criminals from their hideouts to allow farmers to resume their crucial agricultural activities.

“We know where they are; let’s flush them out. These areas are major food producers, and with people displaced and unable to access their villages, we are facing a looming food crisis,” warned Senator Jimkuta.

In a plea to President Bola Tinubu, the Senator urged the declaration of a state of emergency on security in the Takum-Ussa areas.

Such a declaration, he argued, would pave the way for essential measures to be taken, enabling farmers to return to their farmlands and begin rebuilding their lives in the face of this unprecedented threat to the region’s food security.
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