The Taraba State Governor, Dairus Ishaku, has raised the alarm over what he described as rising military brutality and molestation against the people of the state.
He said the military has taken over the job of the police and is bombarding people’s houses and arresting youths and locking them up.
The governor who addressed a press conference yesterday at the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja shortly after its national executive meeting, said the military has engaged in rampant arrests of youths and transferring them to Abuja without regard to his office as the chief executive and chief security officer of the state.
Ishaku further alleged that the military is not protecting the people against the killer herdsmen but now going around arresting the youths in the town.
He said though military has withdrawn from the southern part of Taraba State, they are still being harassed by the herdsmen militia.
The governor said it was this flagrant abuse by the military that led to the demonstration by the women last week, adding that the situation is getting worse.
“The military has taken over the job of the police and bombarding people’s houses at 2a.m., arresting youths and locking them up. Two of these youths were missing and we understand that they are with the military and being transferred to the Abuja military headquarters.
“I asked for the reason. Nobody has confronted me with the reason. All I was told was that they committed crime. Which crime nobody has told me about as the chief executive and chief security officer of the state,” he said.
The governor also accuse the army of taken over the responsibility of the Police and detaining youths without trial.
“Nobody has reported this to me. The police are not aware of this. The military has written to the Takum Local Government Area Chairman for him to report to them immediately to be arrested.
“I don’t know what is happening. The armed forces are not protecting the people against the killer herdsmen but now going around arresting the youths in the town.
“This is what led to the demonstration of the women last week. Now the situation is getting really bad.”