Fulani Militias Attacked Taraba Community, Killed My Father, Four Relatives — Grieving NYSC Member Cries Out, Says Herdsmen Chased All Residents, Settled Down
A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Orkeghen Philip Aondofa, has cried out for help, saying armed Fulani herders launched a deadly attack on his village — New-Gboko (Nyugoko) in Peva–Chanchanji Ward, Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
They reportedly killed his father and four other members of his family.
Philip, who is currently serving in Enugu State, recounted the horror in an emotional interview with SaharaReporters, saying the Taraba State government has remained silent while killings continue across communities in Chanchanji ward.
According to him, the attackers, whom he repeatedly referred to as “herders ”, invaded the community on November 27, 2025, unleashing violence that forced all surviving residents to flee.
He said the assailants are still occupying the village, preventing him from retrieving his father’s corpse for burial.
“Right now, as I speak to you, the killing is all over Chanchanji ward in Takum LGA of Taraba State. The Taraba State Government is silent about it,” he said.
The corps member said one of the attackers used his late father’s phone to call him after the massacre — only to confess to killing him.
“After the attack, one of them took my father’s phone and called me. When I asked where the owner of the phone was, he told me, he killed my father directly. I broke down and ended the call,” he said.
Philip said the inability to recover his father’s remains has left him in deeper anguish.
“What pains me the most now is how I will get my father’s corpse to bury. Those herders are still there in the village. There is nobody left in my village.”
The corps member said he is nearing the end of his service year but now feels completely stranded and without hope.
“After my service, I don’t know where to go. I don’t know where to start. I am calling on the Federal Government and those concerned to come to my aid. I am broke, I am hopeless. I don’t have anywhere to go; everything is gone. I have lost hope.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Taraba State government had not issued any statement regarding the attack.
Communities in Takum and neighbouring council areas have suffered repeated violent attacks over the years, with residents consistently accusing authorities of leaving them at the mercy of armed groups.
