The Taraba State Police Command has verified that they found seven bodies of travelers in a thick forest.
This information comes after an assault on a bus with 18 seats that was ambushed at Gamkwe village in the Donga Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.
The bus, carrying passengers from Zako Biam in Benue State, was heading to Maihula in the Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State when a group of attackers, believed to be vigilante members, launched a deadly attack.
It was reported that the vigilante members, who were grieving the death of their member, attacked the bus in anger, claiming that the passengers' kinsmen were responsible for the death of the vigilante member.
Following the attack, 15 passengers, including women and children, were reported missing by the police.
In a statement on Wednesday, the State Police Commissioner, CP David Iloyonomon, stated that his men discovered the seven deceased individuals in the forest while on patrol to ease growing tension between the Ichen and Tiv ethnic groups in the Donga Local Government Area of the State.
The commissioner mentioned that the seven recovered deceased individuals included five women, a baby, and a man.
The commissioner clarified that the incident on Tuesday began when Ichen youths from Mararaba area of Donga LGA reported to the Police Area Command in the area that a Pastor and his church member were missing while on their way to the church.
According to Iloyonomon, the same day, the youth found the decaying bodies of the missing persons and began attacking the Tiv residents in the town.
“It took the efforts of our men to rescue some of the Tiv people to Takum for safety,” he stated.
“Today, while our men were on patrol to maintain law and order and ensure that peace returns, they found seven deceased individuals including five women, a man, and a baby. The corpses have been removed to the police station,” he stated.
