Abdulmutalib Jankada, the traditional ruler of Sansani Chiefdom, Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, has been shot dead. FIJ learned that the ruler, who reportedly tackled banditry, was killed on Thursday night.

Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen killed him in his palace and fled after perpetrating the act, according to a source. His death took place on the eve of a turbaning ceremony planned for some members of the community.

The source, who knew the deceased personally and does not want to be named, suspects that the killing was a reprisal from bandits.

He told FIJ that the chiefdom was rife with banditry and kidnapping, which the late monarch tried hard to fight.

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“There is the issue of banditry and kidnapping in the chiefdom of the late chief. He was one chief who fought the menace with all his strength. There are local vigilantes in the chiefdom that would arrest and deal with whoever was found linked to this menace,” the source told FIJ.

“The thing is, if you happen to be a king and fight these attackers, they often retaliate. There’s always reprisal. You attack them, they counter-attack. I personally suspect that it was because of the way he dealt with them that made them attack back.”

The source revealed that the deceased was in the company of friends when the killers arrived on motorcycles.

After the gunmen had opened fire on the chief, it took a while for people to understand what was going on because, according to the source, the town was already filled with fanfare ahead of a turbaning ceremony scheduled for Friday.

“I learned that the king returned from a journey on Thursday evening and was seated with friends in the palace around 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm when some people arrived on motorcycles and stopped in front of the palace.

“The people on bikes then sent someone to tell the chief that he had some visitors. The chief decided to come out to see who they were. When he came out, they opened fire and shot him dead. Before people could realise what was happening, the killers had disappeared.

“The reason why people did not understand what was happening immediately was that they planned to turban some people in the chiefdom yesterday (Friday) and there was preparation in the town.

“The town was very busy as they prepared ahead of Friday for the ceremony. There were local vigilantes in town, shooting in the air in celebration of the event that would take place. So, nobody understood what was happening.

“It was some minutes after that people who were seated with him inside discovered that he did not return. They decided to come out and check. That was when they found the chief lying on the ground with bullets.”

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The source said he also suspected that the chief might have been killed by rivals in the royal family.

“In royal families, there are mostly issues among members of the family. There is rivalry between members from this side and the other side. So that one has been there for a long time. Coupled with the banditry and kidnapping crises, these are the two issues that are on ground.”

Meanwhile, FIJ learned that the Taraba State Police Command has launched an investigation into the incident. Officers have also been deployed to arrest the perpetrators.

Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.