Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Traveling through and within Taraba State could be an experience that offers one the rare opportunity to have a glimpse of very beautiful natural settings that leave one completely amazed by the aesthetic grandeur of the wonderful scenery.
In the face of growing insecurity, it could also be a horrifying one which could leave the traveller with bitter tales to narrate, if they are lucky enough to escape still alive to tell their stories.
Apart from the roads that have become so terrible and could keep the traveller stuck at a spot for several hours or days, an encounter with kidnappers, armed herdsmen or armed robbers, who operate with ferocious decisiveness, leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the travellers.
Added to this horrendous scenario is the fact that many portions of major highways have now fallen under the control of tribal militias, who force passengers out and slaughter commuters perceived to be from enemy tribes. It is this latest development that most travellers are beginning to dread.
Created in 1991, Taraba State in the Northeast geopolitical zone of the country is home to a little less than three million people made up of over 100 ethnic groups, who occupy a landmass of over 54,473 square kilometers and survive mostly on agriculture and agro-related activities.
Broken into 16 local government areas, the state boasts of an alluring cultural heritage and diversity that are arguably second to none in the country. The state is home to some of the rarest treasures of the country. As a result of the massive agricultural, tourism and mineral resources and the human capital potentials of the state, it is tagged the Nature’s Gift to the nation.
Some of nature’s beatific sights in the state include the famous lush green Mambilla Plateau, Gashaka Gumti National Park, and the Daka Forest. The longest stretch of River Benue runs through Taraba State. The state shares boundary with the Republic of Cameroon and several states in Nigeria, including Benue, Plateau, Cross River, Gombe, Adamawa and Nasarawa, making it one of the best agrarian locations coveted by farmers and herders and loved by tourists, conservationists and others.
Unfortunately, the vast potentials of the state have not been properly harnessed and translated to meaningful development that should have placed the state at a vantage position amongst other states in the country.
Over the years, Taraba State has remained relatively peaceful, with pockets of ethnic skirmishes from time to time.
Bad roads
One of the obvious manifestations of gross underdevelopment in the state is the pathetic state of most roads. In fact, traversing the state from one end to another could take a whole day, not so much because of the geographical distance, but because of the bad roads. Most local government areas do not even have access roads.
Traveling from Jalingo, the state capital, to local government areas like Lau, Karim Lamido, Kurumi, Yoro, Sardauna and others leaves so much to be desired. And then moving from the local government headquarters to local communities within the LGA could be pure torture.
During a medical outreach sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hard-to-reach villages in the state, one of the medical field officers noted: “It is as if these people are not part of civilization at all. It is as if the government does not even realise that they exist. For a distance that should not take more than 25 minutes by car, you have to spend more than three hours on a motorcycle because you cannot drive to these places. And these people are part of the voting population in this state and country. This is one trip I would not want to make again, if I have the choice.”
A trader, Mrs Helen Pinga, who buys plantain and banana from Kurumi LGA, and transports to Abuja and other parts of the country, narrated her ordeal on the Mararaba-Kurumi road to Sunday Sun thus: “I cannot believe that a state government would not be concerned about the condition of the road leading to such a beautiful and rich destination. Kurumi alone can sustain the economy of the state if the road is open and the revenue there is properly harnessed. Most traders are just too frustrated to continue coming to this place. There was a time last year that I bought a truckload of plantain and our truck got stuck in the middle of the road. It took three days before we got it out of the mud. By that time, most of my plantain was already ripe. By the time I managed to get it to town and travel to Abuja, the consignment had become over-ripe. I lost nearly a truckload of plantain. And worse of all, I went down with flu and malaria for more than two weeks. It was a very horrible experience.”
Unfortunately, efforts by successive governments in the past to bring succour to the area by constructing some of the federal highways in the hope of reimbursement from the Federal Government have been very frustrating. As at the time of filing this story, the Federal Government had not reimbursed over N25 billion spent by the Taraba government to reconstruct federal roads in the state.
Travelers along the Wukari/Jalingo/Yola road have had to spend agonising hours at various points when about four bridges along the road were washed away by floodwater last year and it took the government several months before the bridges were partially fixed.
Meanwhile, traveling between Takum and Wukari remains a frustrating trip as the famous Chanchanji Bridge has remained a nightmare. The same could be said of the Serti/Gembu road, Jalingo/Zing road, and a host of other intercity roads within the state, some of which are Federal Government roads.
A driver who plies most of the roads in the state, Mr Fabian Yakubu, told Sunday Sun: “Traveling to most parts of the state puts in bold relief the extent of lack of government presence in the state. A trip that is supposed to take you just 30 to 40 minutes lasts for hours just because of the bad roads. We feel bad when we charge passengers high fares, but we don’t have a choice. The roads destroy our vehicles and that means we need to visit the mechanics constantly. And then you get to make less number of trips in a day. It is a very frustrating experience.”
Unholy alliance of kidnappers, armed herdsmen, robbers
The bad roads are just one aspect of the nightmare travellers contend with in the state. A driver, Mr Vincent Ikyakwayan, recently narrated his encounter with men of the underworld who prowl the roads especially in the southern part of the state.
His words: “I went to Amadu to pick up some goods. On my way to Jalingo I was attacked by armed robbers not far from Peva, close to Chanchanji. At first, I thought they were members of the local vigilance group, so I offered them some money to encourage them. Next minute, I was pulled out of the car and beaten blue and black. They took my money, phones and the other valuables I had. Fortunately, my car had problem with the ignition so they couldn’t start it. They gave me another round of beating for driving a faulty car and then left me. It was a very horrible experience. I have travelled to nearly every state in this country, but that was the first time I had such an encounter. I have heard stories of the boys operating in that axis. That encounter was my firsthand experience and it was not a pleasant one at all.”
His story is just one of many such tales. Travelers along Takum-Katsina Ala road, Takum-Wukari and other routes within the southern zone of the state have severally come under attack from armed robbers who usually dispossess their victims of money and other valuables and even kill some people at times.”
The roads are also awash with kidnappers, who operate in the area with reckless abandon. More than 50 persons are believed to have been kidnapped in the last two years. While some persons are taken from their houses, travellers often fall into the wrong hands and end up in the bush for days until ransom is paid to secure their freedom.
Recently, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Darius Ishaku, was kidnapped along with others on their way from Jalingo to Sardauna LGA, where he was supposed to meet with his principal.
A kidnap victim, Mr Lazarus Tundiri, who narrated his ordeal said that he was travelling on his motorcycle from Wukari to Takum, when some young boys ambushed him. “They searched me and took the little amount of money I had with me. Then one of them asked why I wasn’t carrying plenty of money. I told them that was all I had and they decided to take me into custody. I told them that there was no one to pay for my release and they kept me with them for two days. Eventually, they released me, but my motorcycle was gone. I don’t think I will ever travel on that road alone ever again.”
Similarly, Mr Ezekiel Ajai witnessed the horror of his life when eight occupants of a vehicle he was traveling in from Zaki-Biam in Benue State to Jalingo in Taraba State were removed and slaughtered at Byepi village on Tuesday, a fortnight ago by a tribal militia. The non-Tiv occupants were spared by the gun-wielding militia.
His words: “Our vehicle was stopped by Vehicle Inspection Officers (V.I.O) on duty. Just some meters away from where we were stopped, we met a roadblock by a militia group. The driver in an attempt to escape hit a motorcycle and the vehicle stopped. The militia gang identified some Tiv passengers in the vehicle and moved them into the bush where they were killed. They also killed the driver for trying to escape.”
In a voice laden with emotion Mrs Lucy Msendoo, wife of Mr Nicholas Msendoo, who was killed along the Jalingo-Wukari road, recounted the heart-rending call she had with her husband before he was slaughtered.
“My husband was on the road. Having known that there was crisis in Wukari, I was talking to him regularly especially when he got to Wukari axis. At a point, when I called, he told me to continue to pray for him. At that point I knew all was not well with him. His voice was shaking as he managed to say ‘please continue to pray for me and do take care of our son.’ In the background as we conversed, I heard some people wailing. I became so confused and I insisted that he should tell me what the problem was; it was at then that someone else grabbed his phone and told me that my husband cannot return to me, that I should forget about him. They returned the phone to him again and forced him to talk to me and he said the situation with him was such even he was allowed to go he could not make it on his own.
“Hours later, someone used my husband’s phone to call me again, and told me that my husband had been killed in the bush and that if I have people who think they are bold enough, they should go into Byepi forest and find the body.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Command, DSP David Misal, when contacted to comment on the tragic incident could only confirm that three persons were killed along the Jalingo – Wukari road.