Bloodbath in Taraba: Many killed, several injured •JTF kills 2 gunmen in Kano

IT was an orgy of violence and death in Wukari, Taraba State, on Saturday, as a purported argument over a mosque degenerated into a bloodbath with many people losing their lives.
Reports reaching Sunday Tribune confirmed that violence began after some men who were arguing over a mosque failed to reach a compromise.
Sources at the scene said one of the men was holding a loaded gun which some people attempted to forcefully collect from him. In the process, the gun was said to have accidentally discharged, killing  one of the men at the scene instantly.
In the resulting chaos, several people were said to have been killed, while many sustained of injuries.
In another development, the Joint  Task Force (JTF)  in Kano State shot dead two members of the  Boko Haram group,while several others sustained varying degree of gunshot at Gunduawa in Hadeja Road area of Kano on Saturday.
According to a military source, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, the incident occurred at  a JTF checkpoint at Gunduawa, when gunmen in a Sienna bus attempted to attack the checkpoint but were repelled by security operatives.
 The source disclosed that the bus, which had nine occupants, including a woman, was singled out from a long queue for screening by the JTF personnel, when  two  of the men in the bus immediately pulled out their pistols in an attempt to shoot at the security men, who responded promptly  by opening fire on their assailants and gunning down two  of the suspects.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, an  eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, disclosed  that: “Our vehicle was behind the Sienna bus in a queue caused by the checkpoint. Immediately the military men sighted the vehicle, they moved near it and immediately ordered everyone in the vehicle out in an attempt to screen the occupant. In fact, it was only the Sienna vehicle which was ordered out of the queue, suggesting that they might be working on a tipoff.”
While speaking  with the JTF  spokesman  Captain Ikedici Iweha, by telephone, he confirmed the death of two of the occupants of the Sienna bus and the arrest of four persons, saying  they would face interrogation.
TRIBUNE