Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A fresh wave of violence has struck New Gboko village in Takum Local Government Area, Taraba State — a raid allegedly carried out by armed Fulani militia that left multiple members of one family dead and entire communities displaced. The victims include the father and four other close relatives of a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who has spoken out in grief and despair, and whose home village is now reported abandoned.
The NYSC member, Orkeghen Philip Aondofa, said the attack occurred around 27 November 2025. In an emotional testimony, he recounts receiving a call from assailants — using his late father’s phone — telling him “We have killed your father; come and collect his body.” After the assault, the entire community reportedly fled as the militia took control, preventing survivors from retrieving bodies or returning home.
New Gboko is among a string of villages across Taraba that have been hit in recent months as militias linked to herdsmen and ethnic‑militia groups expand their hold on rural areas. Reports indicate that entire settlements have been overrun, populations displaced, farms destroyed, and houses burned.
While many of the targeted victims are Christian farming communities, the attacks are increasingly viewed as part of a larger pattern of coercion and displacement. Survivors describe the assailants as heavily armed and operating with relative impunity — often arriving on motorcycles, surrounding villages, shooting indiscriminately, and looting properties before setting homes ablaze.
Authorities in Taraba State have been criticised for a perceived lack of timely intervention. According to local witnesses and residents, many of these raids have occurred despite the presence of security forces, leaving vulnerable communities feeling abandoned and exposed.
The situation has sparked concern among humanitarian advocates and human rights observers, who warn that the growing trend of militia-led occupation and violence may signal an emerging systemic campaign of land seizure and ethnic intimidation. The devastation, they say, goes beyond the immediate loss of life — affecting livelihoods, ancestral lands, and the social fabric of entire communities.
Calls for urgent and decisive action are mounting: local leaders, displaced residents, and churches are demanding that both state and federal authorities intervene — not only to bring perpetrators to justice, but to provide protection, humanitarian relief, and pathways for displaced families to return home safely. Meanwhile, many remain skeptical, citing previous assurances by security agencies that failed to avert similar attacks.
At this point, New Gboko remains deserted; its residents scattered, mourning, and waiting for a response. As Taraba continues to reel from successive attacks, the nation faces yet another grim reminder of the fragility of rural peace, and the urgent need for sustainable security measures and accountability.
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