Boko Haram members: regrouping in Taraba

The senate also urged the Federal Government to undertake a holistic study of the crises in the state as well as rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

It mandated its relevant committees to visit IDPs’ camps and other affected areas to ascertain the gravity of activities of the insurgents.

The committees were equally mandated to interface with the state government and security agencies toward finding a lasting solution to the problem.

This was sequel to a motion by Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba South).

Leading debate on the motion, Bwacha said that insurgents, who were escaping from offensive by the military in other parts of the North-East, were relocating to the state.

He recalled that the former Director of Information, Defence Headquarters, Maj.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, revealed that suspects arrested in Gidin Dorowa in Taraba confessed to being members of Boko Haram.

He said “there is change of tactics by the insurgents who are parading as herdsmen to make it more difficult for the unsuspecting public to identify them.

“The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, recently confirmed that the herdsmen involved in most of the senseless killings are not the same Fulanis we know.

“They go about grazing with AK 47 riffles. The insurgents caught with over 300 cows in Borno by the JTF add credence to the assertion.

“These Boko Haram attackers masquerading as Fulani herdsmen have killed over 2, 000 people from December, 2013 to date, in the state.

“The killings, kidnappings and destruction of property by these terrorists are ongoing. Some villages are near extinction because of activities of these people.

“The rampaging Boko Haram has over-concentrated their activities in the central and southern parts of the state.”

In his contribution, Sen. Shehu Sanni (APC-Kaduna Central) agreed that the activities of herdsmen were devastating, but that they should not be tagged as terrorists.

Sen. Barnabas Gemade (APC-Benue North East) recalled how he sponsored a similar motion in the 7th Senate and how the chamber mandated relevant committees to visit affected states to ascertain true position of things.

Gemade, however, did not state how the issues were later handled.