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.