YES, MR. UMAR, THERE IS WAR IN TARABA
Our attention has been drawn to some salacious comments by one clown called Aaron Artimas who is the shameless minion of Taraba state deputy governor, Garba Umar. Artimas was responding to what Arc. Darius Isiaku said concerning the ongoing war in Taraba. Rather than restrict himself to the issues raised by Darius, Artimas veered off and engaged in inanities. There are many things we can say about this unfortunate and hungry character called Artimas but we leave that for another day. For now, the saying that when a bird is gyrating on the road, its drummer is not far behind applies here. Aaron is only a desperate mercenary who has enough sense to know that Hurricane Darius is coming to sweep away their little castle of sand. Thus Aaron, like all the other desperadoes in the illegal government of UTC are starting to have nightmare about Darius. They see Darius in their dreams when they sleep. They see him as a shadow chasing them when they wake up. Their appetite is spoiled when they hear his name and Darius has become their nemesis. They have now narrowed their war to him because after all Darius is not the only Taraban seeking the governorship but he is the only one they are all attacking now. They know they are in trouble.
That is why since the humble former minister, Arc. Darius Ishiaku, become the consensus candidate of the south in the governorship, all that the UTC group have done is fight, bark, and scream in fear but all to no avail. They have tried in vain to twist the minister’s comments out of proportion to no avail. They have tried to demean his profile in vain. But like we have done before, we intend to parade the lies of UTC and then clarify them with the truth so that all can see what is going on.
UTC LIES: “It was never the wish of the three affected states (Yobe, Borno and Adamawa) to go through the nightmarish experience of this problem and as such the threat of Boko Haram should not be gleefully used as campaign material”
THE TRUTH: No one is using the crisis in southern Taraba as campaign material. After all the campaigns have not even started even though all that UTC does in Jalingo and environs these days is to go about spending the state’s scarce resources, campaigning. And speaking of the crisis itself, it is clear to everyone that UTC is heavily involved in it in various ways. Several of the insurgents caught in the areas have continued to confess that UTC is the one who did send them to the zone to destabilize it. In fact, when one of the insurgent was caught, UTC gave orders that he should be realized. Please, dear reader, don’t take our words for this. Go to Jalingo and verify this for yourself from the security agencies. As we write this now, the entire state has become the recruitment center of the dreaded “yan kalare” thugs who have migrated from Gombe- the birth place of UTC- to Jalingo. It is not impossible that many of them are not part o the mercenaries maiming and killing people in southern Taraba. The truth is that UTC is NOT committed to any lasting peace in the area, believing that by destabilizing the zone, he would decimate the place so that elections would not hold. A pattern in the crisis showed that it is the indigenous inhabitants of these areas that are affected.
The point Darius is making is that there are crisis in these areas and the man who should end them is not interested in doing so for selfish reason. Only a purposeful leadership based on equal rights and justice can bring about peace in the region. What Darius is saying is that UTC cannot bring about peace because he is not interested in peace and does not have the mind for peace. UTC is a violent man who knows nothing about peace. He doesn’t have a program for the restoration of peace and tranquility. Even worse Taraba people don’t trust him to bring about peace. The thugs that the Governor Danbaba Suntai outlawed and disbanded are now back. Dangerous men prowl the streets of Taraba unleashing hell.
And yes, just as in the three state ravaged by the Boko Haram menace, it is indeed not the wish of our people that they are being killed night and day but UTC doesn’t care about them. And by coming out to even deny that there is crisis in these places, UTC has betrayed his naiveté and insincerity. In fact, UTC’s insincerity is even so manifest especially as the state House of Assembly once even asked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the affected areas. Besides, Wukari and environs are still in the news as war spots. And then UTC comes out to say there is no war in Taraba. Does he realize that even if it was only one ward that is engulf in crisis, the whole state is affected?
UTC LIES: “perhaps a stranger like Darius will need to know that apart from Wukari, Ibi, Gassol, and Bali, the rest of the rest of the state has been generally peaceful….peace has returned to the affected local government except some sporadic incidents of violence usually influenced by criminal tendencies”
THE TRUTH: This is case of a true stranger looking for whom to accuse of being a fellow stranger. The truth is that UTC is not even from Taraba state (at the appropriate time, we shall confirm this). But speaking of people being strangers, Darius was born and had his schooling in Taraba. He has classmates he can point to as those he grew up with. He is the scion of the popular Yaku Pastor- one of the foremost missionaries in Lupwe. And the Ishiaku clan are well known for this missionary activities. Darius has continued to touch base with home since he left for higher schools and the pursuit of career. He speaks the lingua franca of our areas very fluently and he is at home with all the customs and tradition of our people. But UTC on his part is the real stranger. A man who largely lived all his life in Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau among other places, UTC’s behavior is even alien to our culture and people. Born in the Wurkum quarters of Makurdi, Benue state, UTC early life was largely in that town. He eventually started work in the groundnut section of the UAC where his father was active. Later, he went on to work for UTC where he was everywhere apart from Taraba. He was later discovered by the late Baba Kirim who brought him back to Gongola state as it was then known. That was how he started coming home but disappeared again for like forever. To cut a long story short, even in the ward registration of 2011, do you all know that UTC didn’t register as a voter in his native Bachama ward? That was the level of his disconnect from his roots. UTC doesn’t understand the nature of our state. His passion from time immemorial has been the Izala movement where he rose up the ranks to be its Secretary General. Until the real stranger came to our state, we didn’t know what betrayer means. We didn’t know what religious bigotry means. All these were imported from his local Diaspora roots and transplanted into Taraba.
He said peace has returned to the areas mentioned. That is a joke. Just yesterday, more people were killed at Wukari. Yet, he says peace has returned. The Tiv community has deserted their home in Bali and environs. And yet, he says peace has returned. Sporadic shooting from invaders is still a staple experience. And yet UTC-kind of peace has returned. Well, may be UTC means the peace of the graveyard. The naïve man believes that deserted quiet villages are a sign of peace. He believes that because farmers have left the farms, so that means they are at peace. And because he is a true stranger, UTC doesn’t know that the way our people live now is not the way they used to be. This is not peace. This is war and only Darius can end it. UTC only knows how to ignite fire; he doesn’t know how to put them out.
UTC LIES: “what more evidence of a peaceful state is better than this? Contrary to his own notion of insecurity, a Kaduna based Darius has freely move (sic) round the state for the first time understanding his state and selling his programs to the electorate”
THE TRUTH: Darius is home based. UTC, on the other hand, and as we have shown, is an alien to our dear state. That is why today, contractors from Gombe and Bauchi see Jalingo as the extension of their states where they could plunder courtesy of UTC. If you are wondering where all our money has gone, just go to Gombe and see Taraba money at work. Contrary to Artimas and his boss, nobody apart from them, “freely move” round Taraba state especially southern Taraba. And even they do so with heavy security. I dare UTC or any one of his hordes to travel round the state without the crazy assemblage of security men so that we know the state is peaceful. Militia warriors from Gombe state are still lurking in the highways. It takes maximum security for anyone to successfully navigate the state. The last congress event was a security nightmare especially if you were not with the deputy governor. Overzealous soldiers and police men on UTC payroll were prowling the state like wounded lions seeking whom to devour. The people of Wukari, Ibbi, Gassol and Bali all live in constant fears of attacks. Even in Jalingo residents live in fear. Especially those residents who disagree with UTC. The campaign office of Darius was recently attacked and ravaged by loyalists of UTC. The entire state is under boots and guns. And yet, this is the peace records of the man UTC.
His allegation that Darius probably started and encouraged the crisis to actualize his governorship ambition is the most ridiculous statement from any sane mind. It is the ancient art of blaming the victim. A widow is blamed for the death of her husband so that inlaws can cart away the booties. A mother is accused of killing her own children so that she would be declared a witch. A father is said to have killed his own sons so that he would go to jail upon his sorrows. And in all cases, the real witches and wizards would go behind closed doors and have a good laugh. The bereaved has been made the victim. Darius today is one of the most bereaved in the entire saga of insecurity in the southern zone. Each gunshot, every death and all the crisis weighs on his mind each day like a dark cloud. And while UTC is having fun, collecting chieftaincy titles, marrying off his daughters, stealing the state blind and rigging ward congress election, Darius is quietly seeking solutions to the crisis in his backyards.
That is why he believes, and we believe too that he can quench the fires UTC started.
ANTHONY ASHU
Coordinator