At least 11 persons, including a village head, were reportedly killed and houses razed following an attack on a Taraba community at a border with the Republic of Cameroon in the Takum Local Government Area.

A resident of the community and Special Assistant to the State Governor, Joseph Manga, told our correspondent on the telephone that Ambazonian fighters attacked the community on Monday night, killing 11 persons.

Manga said, “The attack in my community is an attack on Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

“The community is benevolent enough to take refugees fleeing the conflict in Cameroon and what they can get back is an attack on them by the separatist agitators.

“The attackers first attacked a village on the other side of Cameroon and killed people before crossing over to do the same in my community.

“My elder brother, who is the traditional ruler of the community, was killed during the attack on his palace before they proceeded to kill others in the community.

“The death toll at the moment is 11, including my brother, the traditional ruler, we are still combing the bushes to see if more bodies will be recovered.”

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Efforts to get the reaction of the state police command ailed as the Police Public Relations Officer’s phone number was switched off as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr David Kassa, on Wednesday said the government has engaged the services of Agro Rangers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to safeguard farms for harvest.

Kassa, who disclosed this at a press conference in Jalingo, the state capital, noted that the move was to create a safe atmosphere for the 2021 harvest season.

According to him, the season witnessed improvement in crop production due to government introduction of improved variety of seedlings and better farming methods introduced by FADAMA III and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, especially for rice and cassava farmers.

He said, “Governor Darius Ishaku has directed us to immediately enlist the services of Agro rangers to safeguard farms for harvest.

“As I speak with you, the rangers are there in Gassol and other farming communities where farmers have a sense of insecurity.”