Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has challenged security operatives in the state to fish out the killers of the member representing Takum II Constituency, Taraba state House of Assembly, Hon. Hosea Ibi.
The governor made the appeal when he received members of the state House of Assembly at the Government House in Jalingo, the state capital.
The legislators, led by their Speaker, Hon. Peter Abel, was at the Government House to commiserate and condole with governor over the gruesome murder of their colleague who is from the same local government area with the governor.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Abel, expressed shock at the news of the cold murder of Hon. Ibi and urged the people to put their political differences aside and ensure that the state becomes unsafe for criminals.
In his response, Governor Ishaku said he was saddened by the development, especially with all the efforts put in place to secure his release.
The governor who could not hide his feelings, lamented several security problems confronting the nation and called for immediate end.
While applauding the efforts of the security agencies in the state, governor Ishaku asked them to ensure that perpetrators of the killing be fished out.
The governor further advised the people to be vigilant and report strange faces to security agencies as well as assist in apprehending the criminals.
He called on the people not to take laws into their hands as the incident should be seen as a criminal act and not tribal.
Sixteen days after Ibi was abducted from his residence in Takum, his corpse was discovered in the forest by a search team.
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on the federal and state governments to be more proactive in protection of lives and property of citizens across the country.
The forum said there was the need for the authorities to take more decisive steps to restore the security of lives and property of citizens especially those that were currently involved in herdsmen/farmer clashes in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Zamfara and other parts of the country
This was even as the forum condoled with families and communities that have lost members and assets and enjoined security agencies to step up their statutory responsibility of protection of national integrity.
Spokesman of NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi, in a press statement, explained that the forum met to review critical national developments as they relate to tensions around national security punctuated by killings in many parts of the country.
“The forum condoles all the families and communities that have lost members and assets, and demands the federal and state authorities to take more decisive steps to restore the security of lives and property of citizens.
Also hundreds of indigenes of Benue State stormed the National Assembly, rejecting cattle colonies in the state.
The protesters, dressed in black attires carrying different placards were not allowed into the premises by security operatives.
Dressed in black attires, carrying different placards, they lamented the killings by suspected herdsmen. Over 80 indigenes of the state have been killed in separate attacks this month.
While accusing the government of ignoring the killings in the state, they also kicked against the idea of establishing cattle colonies.
Although, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to arrest those behind the killings, but less than 24 hours after the directive, suspected herdsmen returned to the communities killing six persons.
