Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba on Thursday backed the recent statement by a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma.
Danjuma had accused the army of colluding with armed bandits and called on Nigerians to device means of self defense.
The Governor spoke when he hosted the Probe Panel set up by the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Tukur Buratai to investigate the recent allegation made against the Nigerian armed forces by the elder statesman.
“We in Taraba are fully behind what Danjuma said on self defence.
“As an ex army General with a high reputation, I think that call deserves to be looked into and not to be criticized because he spoke the minds of everyone in Taraba and indeed all Nigerians,” he said.
Ishaku said the coming of the committee was timely, assuring them of a conducive working environment to succeed in their assignment.
Ishaku explained that the frequent attacks by herdsmen led to the promulgation of the open grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law after consultations with stakeholders.
The governor decried the activities of soldiers in Taraba who, he noted, were “going about mistreating citizens and disarming them of petty arms while ignoring those with lethal weapons.”
He debunked the claim by the military that his government did not complain about all that was happening in the state.
According to him, he had “visited the president, the vice president, as well as written several letters on the alarming situation and therefore the claim couldn’t have been true.”
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