There is tension in Taraba State as no fewer than 11 persons have been confirmed killed by alleged separatists from neighbouring Cameroon.
The incident, which occurred, yesterday, at Manga village of Takum Local Council, reportedly claimed the life of a traditional ruler.
Confirming the incident, a brother to the killed monarch said the separatists from the neighbouring country had earlier attacked a community in Cameroun before finding their way into Taraba.
“My elder brother, who is the traditional ruler of the village, was killed. The foreign soldiers killed him in his palace before going ahead to kill other people in the community,” he said.
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP, Taraba South) had raised the alarm that some separatists from Southern Cameroon are trying to dominate Manga community in Takum Local Council of Taraba State.
The Senate Deputy Minority Leader described the attack as a slap on Nigeria’s territorial sovereignty.
Disclosing this at the plenary yesterday, the lawmaker also said the Ambazonian separatists from Southern Cameroon killed the head of Manga community and some residents.
According to the lawmaker, Manga village is 20 kilometres away from Kashimbilla Dam.
He, therefore, called on the military to immediately swing into action to prevent the eventual occupation of Manga community by the separatists.
CONSEQUENTLY, the Catholic Bishop of Kaduna Diocese (CBCN), Matthew Ndagoso, said that peace has become elusive in the country.
Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, the cleric lamented that Nigeria was struggling with all areas of national security.
The cleric urged the government to address escalating insecurity in the South East.
He called on the authorities to also address police brutality and extortion, especially in the South-South, South East and South West parts of the country.
MEANWHILE, Amnesty International (AI) has called on Nigerian authorities to protect women from rampant sexual violence and promptly investigate cases of rape, while perpetrators are given appropriate penalties.
The rights group lamented that the failure of the police to investigate sexual violence deprives survivors of justice and worsens cases of rape, with about 11,200 rape cases reported last year, including children who were raped to death.
According to AI, despite the Nigerian authorities’ declaration of emergency on sexual and gender-based violence, rape persists at crisis levels, with most survivors denied justice, while rapists escape prosecution and hundreds of rape cases go unreported due to corruption, stigma and victim-blaming.
Its latest report entitled ‘Nigeria: A Harrowing Journey, Access To Justice for Women and Girls Survivors of Rape’ covers harrowing cases of sexual violence against women, including six-year-old and 11-year-old girls, who were attacked to death.
The report disclosed how harmful cultural stereotypes, failures of law enforcement to investigate rape cases, toxic misogyny and insufficient support for survivors created a culture of silence and impunity, which continues to fail hundreds of women every year.
The report is based on research carried out between March 2020 and August 2021, including interviews with 14 rape survivors between 12 and 42 years old age.
Amnesty International researchers also interviewed seven parents of survivors in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto and Bauchi states.
