Polls: Hoodlums burn Taraba SSG’s house

The family house of the Secretary
to Taraba State Government,
Timothy Kataps, and that of the
member of the State House of
Assembly representing Saudana
constituency, Mr. Abel Dia, in
Mbamga village in Gembu town
were on Monday burnt down by
some hoodlums protesting
election results in the state.
The hoodlums also razed down the
home of Kataps’ predecessor, Mr.
Emmanuel Njiwa. All of them are
from Mambilla.
The circumstances of the incident
were still sketchy, but it was learnt
that the SSG and the ex-deputy
speaker who were in the area at
the time reportedly went into
hiding to escape being killed.
The youths, it was learnt, were
trying to prevent electoral officers
to take the results of Mbamgar
constituency to the collation centre
in Jalingo, the state capital.
This, it was learnt, snowballed into
a crisis which prevented INEC
electoral officers to take the results
of Sardauna Local Government Area
to the INEC headquarters in Jalingo
for final declaration of the
governorship result.
The state Police Public Relations
Officer, ASP Joseph Kwaji, who
confirmed the incident, said some
youths supporting an unnamed
political party were responsible for
the action.
He was quoted to have said, “Our
men have moved there to calm the
situation. I am yet to ascertain the
level of casualties in the area.”
It was learnt that the incident led
to the rescheduling of the election
in the local government.
The council’s Returning Officer,
Kyari Muhammed, said the election
in Donga was characterised by
“irregularities.

ooooooo ho