Our communities under siege by bandits – Taraba monarch

Dr Ishaku Adda Ali, the Aku-Uka of Wukari in Taraba State, has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security conditions in communities connected to the old Kwararafa Kingdom. At the 2026 Kwararafa People’s Assembly in Abuja, he lamented that the former Kwararafa Confederacy had recently endured attacks from bandits, resulting in the displacement of residents and the transformation of thousands into refugees within their own nation.

The violence has also prevented farmers from accessing their fields and traders from reaching markets due to the ongoing insecurity. Children are denied access to education, while elders have witnessed the destruction of their ancestral homes. Ali emphasized that the assistance provided to these communities must be genuine, enduring, and directly delivered to those suffering, rather than simply being discussed at conferences.

He also lamented the current divisions among the people who once formed the Kwararafa Confederacy, citing political, religious, and ethnic rifts as the issue. Ali questioned how such groups, who had once united to create a confederacy in the 15th century, could now struggle to maintain unity in the 21st century. As the chief convener of the assembly, Ali called for a renewed sense of shared purpose and collaboration among those connected to the Kwararafa heritage.

The Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, who attended the event, expressed pride in his Kwararafa identity and clarified that his involvement in the assembly was not an official government responsibility. He emphasized that the assembly was meant to be a platform for Kwararafa descendants to strengthen their collective vision and contribute to Nigeria’s development.