The police yesterday launched a probe into the alleged landing of a helicopter in a village in Taraba State.
Villagers in Jubu, Wukari Local Government Area raised the alarm at the weekend. The state government called for urgent action to forestall another attack on people.
Taraba lost 55 people to attackers this month.
A helicopter suspected to be loaded with firearms and ammunition landed on Saturday night in Jubu village, according to messages being bandied on the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Instagram. But the information could not be independently confirmed as at press time last night.
Jibu is located along River Benue, near Ibi.
Governor Darius Ishaku’s media and publicity aide Bala Dan Abu alleged that the arms and ammunition might be meant for a militia group that may be planning to attack Taraba villages.
“This system of arms delivery was said to have happened prior to the tragic attacks in Agatu in Benue State, last year, which led to many killings.
”Nothing was done to trace and arrest the owners of the helicopter.
This may be another planned militia attacks in the offing,” Abu said.
A member of the Taraba State House of Assembly representing Wukari II Constituency, Josiah Aji, told reporters he was alerted of the development.
Aji said he had also alerted security agencies and the chairman of Wukari Local Government Council, Daniel Adi, to investigate the allegation.
Taraba State Police spokesman David Misal said a surveillance team had been sent to the area to verify whether the alarm was true or false..
Misal, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said: “That issue remains a rumour for now; we are yet to confirm it. We cannot dismiss it too. We are gathering intelligence on it.
”We shall make our findings known to the public at the appropriate time,” he said.
A resident of Jibu, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent on the telephone yesterday, that late last year, a helicopter landed in the village at night. “Its mission was not established. But now I am in Wukari town so I don’t whether an aircraft had landed there again”, he added.
The source said he was informed that fire arms were being ferried across River Benue in Jubu to Banteje, a town on Wukari-Jalingo road.
Another resident of Jubu said he was not aware of any helicopter landing in the village.
