By Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas said on Monday that his government has tackled pervasive insecurity in the state by supporting security establishments working in the state and engaging with all stakeholders to address the menace.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Digital Communication, Hon Emmanuel Bello, disclosed this during an interaction with our correspondent in Jalingo.
Bello maintained that the administration inherited a serious security situation upon assuming office and promptly decided to engage with critical stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and other relevant persons, as well as security agencies, to ensure that the issue is tackled head-on.
“When this administration came to power, one of the major issues was insecurity that was stopping our people from going to their farms. The situation was so bad that people were being kidnapped from their homes, even here in the state capital, for ransom.
“On assumption of office, we quickly set up a joint task force, a crack team on kidnapping, and you can see that things have changed drastically. We made it a priority to ensure that our people could sleep peacefully.
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“Presently, we have rare cases of kidnapping and other criminal activities. Equally, most farmers are back on their farms, and soon the issue of food scarcity will be a thing of the past.
“Taraba State is so blessed that we can harness our potential and make life very comfortable for everyone. This is our drive. We have engaged traditional rulers to ensure they take charge of security in their domains. We did not only engage traditional rulers but all other stakeholders who are instrumental.
“The joint task force has been able to tackle the issue of kidnapping extensively and decisively. Yes, we still have a few cases on and off, which is expected, but at least it’s no longer as pervasive as it was.
“Equally, the issue of break-ins and harassment of citizens travelling in Keke Napeps has been tackled to a large extent. As we speak, farmers are able to return to their farms, and we hope that soon, we will overcome the issue.
“Our primary focus is to ensure that the people can go to bed with their two eyes closed, and we are not relenting. We believe that once we are able to make our state a safe zone, investors will feel more comfortable coming in, and I can tell you that we are engaging with a lot of investors within and outside the country, and they are very thrilled about the potential inherent in our state,” he said.