Taraba state is now to be included among states
that are to benefit from the federal government
rehabilitation and reconstruction programme
targeted at states in the northeast ravaged by
Boko Haram.

Senate Adhoc Committee chairman on Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Vice President of
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), African Group,
Senator Kabiru Gaya stated this on Wednesday in
Jalingo during an interactive session with heads
of security agencies and community leaders at
the EXCO chambers of Taraba government house.
Gaya who is the senate committee chairman on
works led senators Emmanuel Bwacha and
Shaaba Lafiagi on a fact finding mission in
Taraba, following senator Bwacha’s motion on the
floor of the senate on March 9, calling on the
federal government to deploy special forces to
flush out Boko Haram elements in the state and
to rehabilitate those affected.

The chairman who commended senator Bwacha
for his courage in sponsoring the motion said,
from the evidence they gathered and the security
reports from the Police, DSS, Civil Defense,
Immigration and Prisons Taraba was indeed
affected by the activities of Boko Haram.
“Before now, nobody was talking about Taraba as
one of the states affected by Boko Haram until
Senator Bwacha raised the motion. With useful
security reports we have gathered from security
agencies and our personal visits to IDPs camps,
we can attest to the level of damage done to
Taraba by Boko Haram elements.


“We are convinced that senator Bwacha is
truthful from his heart when he was presenting
the motion. We are going to report back to the
senate and certainly Taraba will be included
among states in the northeast that are going to
get assistance from the federal government in
terms of rehabilitation and reconstruction
because of the lost of properties and other
things,” he said.

He commended Governor Darius Ishaku for
restoring peace in the state and urged the people
of the state to support the governor, even as he
said the senate would do everything possible to
give traditional rulers a role in the constitution
to enable them help in the fight against crime in
the country.
Senator Lafiagi in his remarks commended
senator Bwacha for taking up the matter that
concern the entire Taraba and appeal to the
people of the state not to play ethnic cards or
petty politics with the issue.

“What is due to Taraba should be given to Taraba.
If the people of Adamawa, Borno and others in
the northeast are asking for what is due to them
in terms of this problem of Boko Haram, Taraba
should be given her own share too because
Taraba has her own share of the crisis.”
During the meeting security agencies and
community leaders of Fulani and Tiv ethnic
groups made presentations and submitted
memoranda to the senate Adhoc committee
during the interactive session.
It could be recalled that Senator Emmanuel came
under attack from his colleague, Senator Yusuf A.
Yusuf who countered senator Bwacha’s motion
that some Boko Haram elements were regrouping
in the state.

Yusuf who described Bwacha as an alarmist
warned him to be cautious next time as his
findings indicated that there was no such
development in the state.
But Bwacha who then declined to join issues with
senator Yusuf said Nigerians would judge at
appropriate time who among them was telling
the truth.