A LARGE number of bandits have taken over 15 farming communities in Taraba State, preventing farmers from harvesting their crops.
The affected villages include Garin Gima, Bantaguru, Shadussa, Garin Bose, Mailabari, Gamfurum, Garbatau and Nayinawa, among others.
This newspaper gathered that residents of these villages have fled and are now taking refuge in Garba-Chede and other places in Bali Local Government Area of the state, leaving their matured crops unattended to.
One of the affected farmers, Adamu Musa, said the bandits forced them out of their communities without harvesting their rice, maize, yam and beniseeds, among others.
He lamented that after labouring for months, they could not harvest their crops because of the activities of bandits in their communities.
Musa revealed that many people, including women and children, were abducted by the bandits as they hunt for people in the area day and night, a situation which has made the area very unsafe.
He urged the Taraba State government to take urgent steps to deal with security issues in farming communities across the area.
When contacted, the police spokesman, SP Usman Abdullahi, said there is a joint security action involving soldiers, police, hunters and vigilantes, all in an effort to flush out the criminal elements in the affected areas.
