Frustration and desperation have driven some indigenes of Ibi community in Taraba State to vandalize valuables intended for the construction of the Ibi Bridge over the Benue River. The project, meant to boost educational and economic prospects in Taraba State, has been abandoned due to funding issues.
Initially awarded to RCC Construction in 2020 by the Federal Government at a cost of N57 billion, the project faced financial hurdles from the outset. Despite receiving mobilization from the SUKUK loan, the contractor abandoned the site due to lack of additional funding.
Efforts by National Assembly members from the state to secure additional funding from the 2024 budget also failed.Metal scavengers from the town have taken over the construction site, stripping valuable iron materials, exacerbating the project's challenges.
Community sources report that the vandals are targeting the bridge pillars, using heavy equipment to demolish them and extract iron rods.Local stakeholders, including security agents, are suspected of tacitly supporting these criminal actions. Indigenes, speaking anonymously, fear that the brazen vandalism may signal the end of the project and blame both state and Federal Governments for failing to provide security for the abandoned bridge.A senior security official, speaking anonymously, cited inadequate manpower in the council as a reason for the brazen stripping of the bridge by criminals.
They urge authorities to act swiftly to stop these criminal acts and mobilize contractors to the site.
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