The remains of Michael Usange, a displaced person and retired director with the Taraba State Teaching Service Board, were exhumed and incinerated by suspected militias on Saturday in Chiina village, located along the Wukari-Chinkai road in Taraba State.
Usange, who had been displaced with his family since the outbreak of the Tiv/Jukun conflict in 2019, passed away while taking refuge in Kyado, Benue State. He was laid to rest on June 28, 2025. However, shortly after the burial, armed individuals reportedly stormed the gravesite, dug up his body, and set it ablaze.
Wukari, where the incident occurred, is also the hometown of Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, who was recently named “Security Man of the Year” by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Hon. Orbee Uchiv, a former adviser on information and technology to the ex-governor of Taraba State and now a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Wukari, identified the suspect behind the act. He has urged the governor to take swift action and ensure the arrest of the alleged perpetrator.
AGENDANG also learned that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Wukari has visited the area in an effort to calm tensions. However, the incident has heightened fear and unrest, with both Tiv and Jukun communities now on edge and worried about potential retaliatory attacks.