By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz, Regional Correspondent
A renowned Jalingo based business tycoon Chief Uche Obi has again escaped death by whiskers when hoodlums attacked his private school, filling station and warehouse in Jalingo, Taraba state capital.
The hoodlums seized on the curfew imposed by the Taraba State Government in the wake of the violence and looting that engulfed the state in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests in the country, to carry out the attack.
Chief Uche Obi is from Anambra state who in pursuit of his business followed his boss to serve him in Taraba State.
He was one time Special Adviser to the former Acting Governor of Taraba State Sen. Sani Abubakar Danladi on Works.
It could be recalled that Chief Obi, an Igbo businessman was recently kidnapped and had spent five days in the hands of his captors.
Residents say that “The hoodlums came in looting spree; very early on Sunday morning, 25 October 2020 to loot,’’ said an eyewitness who simply identified herself as Na’omi.
Also corroborating another resident Sangir Dahiru ‘’Today his School Red star academy was looted and striped to its zero, to the gate of the building and all windows, the school official cars were vandalized his filling station and a warehouse were also vandalized and all his properties worth millions were carted away with, they did not stopped there but almost took his life.
‘’He was rushed to the hospital and to God be the glory he is alive,’’ said Dahiru.
Looting Spree
Hoodlums in their number were on Sunday continued to loot warehouses belonging to both private and government in Taraba State.
The hoodlums no longer go for food items alone, but anything they can cart away with.
On a visit to one of the scenes on Sunday in Jalingo, the state capital, looting of warehouses was still ongoing without hindrances by security agencies even as the 24-hour curfew imposed by the government persists.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Hope Afresh Foundation, said to be owned by the wife of Governor Darius Ishaku, Anna was not also spared in the mayhem.
Broken doors, windows, empty stores, vandalized vehicles, and the littered environment is what has characterized the looting of warehouses between Saturday and Sunday.
Other places affected include the veterinary clinic opposite CAN Secretariat, the State Transport Cooperation Store, Agricultural Development Programme, Agro product warehouses among several others.
For instance, at the State Transport Cooperation, the hoodlums looted all the tricycles meant for empowerment programmes, offices, destroyed vehicles as well as made away with passengers goods.
Reacting to the development, the General Manager of the Transportation Company, Ahmed Ishaku described their action as worrisome and unfortunate.
“In fact in the administrative offices, everything was carted away,” Ishaku has said, adding that “we are yet to assess the cost of the damages done to our blocks.”
“I received a phone call from my company secretary that hoodlums have come to vandalize our store.
“We borrowed the store out to SEMA and NEMA and have no business with the relief materials in there.”
Also at Hope Afresh Foundation, there were bloodstains all over, even the water cistern was said to have been carted away.
Meanwhile, the State Police command is yet issued any statement as to measures so far taken to curtail breakdown of law and order as well as the total number of persons feared killed in the incident.
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