SPOTLIGHTS
- Tikari is wanted for the 2017 kidnapping and murder of Hosea Ibbi
- He was appointed by Governor Kefas alongside 132 others
- The appointment has drawn criticism and accusations of shielding a fugitive
- Police maintain they are actively searching for Tikari
- Ibbi’s family demands justice and a reversal of the appointment
By Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has appointed Mr Shiban Tikari, a suspect wanted by the police for alleged involvement in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the late Mr Hosea Ibbi, a former member representing Takum 1 at the Taraba State House of Assembly, as a Special Adviser. Tikari was the former Chairman of Takum Local Government Council.
Tikari was appointed alongside 132 others, including former Speakers of the State House of Assembly, former Commissioners, and top politicians in the state. The appointees were appointed to various positions as Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Community Special Assistants, or Heads and Members of Boards, Commissions, and Agencies.
However, the inclusion of Tikari, who has been at large over his alleged involvement in the murder of Ibbi, has sparked outrage. Ibbi was abducted at gunpoint in Takum and later killed on December 30, 2017. Many accuse the governor of accommodating murderers in his government and aiding them in evading the law.
Taraba State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr David Iloyanmon, briefing reporters at the police command in Jalingo, the state capital, on April 25, 2024, said the police have been on the trail of the former chairman since the State Chief Judge made a public declaration for his arrest.
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“We are looking for him. We recently gathered that he has left the state; we have been trying to arrest him for possible prosecution; anywhere he is, we must get him arrested; it’s just a matter of time,” the police commissioner said.
Surprisingly, when Governor Kefas announced the names of his aides, the former local government chairman was among those to be sworn in to pilot the affairs of the state.
A press statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of the State (SGS) Barr. Gibon Kataps, stated: “Approval of appointments as Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Community Special Assistants, members of boards, commissions, and agencies of Taraba State government part 1.
“His Excellency, Dr Agbu Kefas, the Governor of Taraba State, has approved the appointment of the following to occupy the above Offices, Departments and Agencies in the first instance,” the SGS stated while he captured the name of Tikari as one of the appointees.
The appointment of Tikari has since generated tension among the family members of Ibbi, who have expressed shock over the governor’s decision to include the former chairman in his government despite his alleged involvement in the murder of their relative.
A family member who spoke to journalists in confidence for security reasons urged the governor to reverse his decision on the appointment of Tikari. This, they said, is to allow him to face trial in a court of law as earlier suggested by the State Chief Judge, Justice Joel Agya, at the State High Court recently.
