Suspected gunmen have killed eleven people in border communities within Wukari local government area, specifically in Apiirgwa and Deke located in Kente Ward in southern Wukari, Taraba State. The attack resulted in the destruction of houses and properties worth millions of naira.
Tsavyaa Adeke, a community leader in Adeke, reported that the attackers stormed Apiirgwa in large numbers around 5:00 am on Saturday, while the residents were still asleep, and began firing indiscriminately. “The villagers on hearing the gunshots scampered for their safety but eight (8) persons were killed at the spot, others escaped with gunshot injuries,” Adeke said.
Mr. Aondowase Tarorshi, chairman of the Tiv Cultural and Social Association in Wukari, explained that eight people were killed in Apiirgwa village, two in Tse-Deke, a remote village about 3 kilometers from Wukari town along Wukari Kente Road, where recently resettled IDPs live, and one person was killed at Tarorshi along Wukari Rafinka Road. He noted that the bodies of the eight victims from Apiirgwa and the two from Deke were recovered and buried, but the body of the person killed on Rafinka Road has not yet been found. He named the individuals as Daniel Apirgwa, Saater Apirgwa, Terna Apirgwa, Nguyiman Apirgwa, Tertindi Apirgwa, Kparegh Emmanuel Apirgwa, and Mama Modi Apirgwa. The others were identified as Myom Chiahemba Tarorshi, Tyolumun Deke, and Ternenge Deke also known as Usman.
He mentioned that the assault on Apiirgwa was reported to the nearby troops, who then arrived at the scene and instructed the grieving families to lay the victims to rest.
