By Ephraim Emmanuel
The authority of Tai Local Government Area in Rivers State has attributed the recent deadly assault on farmers in Mumba Community, located within the Baah-Goi Special Area, to heavily armed bandits rather than herders.
Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the Chairman of Tai LGA, Mbakpone Okpe, described the attack as part of a recurring, unprovoked pattern that has claimed several lives. He stated that the invaders were armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, and called on security agencies to set up permanent patrols along boundary areas to prevent future incursions.
“The area is on the borderline between Eleme, Tai, and Oyigbo Local Government Areas,” Okpe said. “There is a particular forest in Agbonchia where these people reside. They pretend to be herdsmen, but they are not. I suspect they are bandits—no herdsman would carry the kind of ammunition used on Saturday.”
The Council Chairman recounted how the gunmen invaded peaceful homes: “Members of my community were in the comfort of their homes when these men invaded and killed them. When the report reached me, I led the police and a Joint Military Taskforce to the scene. A intense gun battle ensued with the suspected bandits, to the extent that security agencies ran out of ammunition.”
Despite the tragedy, Okpe urged residents to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands, assuring them that security operations are underway.
“As an interim measure, I informed the Area Commander in Bori and the division in Tai, and they have been conducting routine patrols since the day of the incident,” he explained. “I have escalated the matter to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, and they are taking action.”
Okpe added that he reached out to the leadership of Miyetti Allah, who denied any involvement of their members in the assault.
