Crime

Tragedy of renewed Fulani herdsmen genocide in southern Kaduna

Published

7 years ago

April 18, 2017

Olu Emmanuel

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No end to killings in local communities

While the people of Southern Kaduna are still licking the wounds inflicted on them by the Fulani herdsmen in the last quarter of 2016, the Easter festival was turned into another bloodbath in the zone. National Daily gathered that the unfortunate incident of renewed invasion of local communities by gunmen last Saturday occurred at a time the people were about beginning to believe the sincerity of government in its reconciliation intuitive.

Asso Community in Jema’a Local Government Area, Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, was aid to have recorded about13 deaths attributed to activities of unknown gunmen on theSaturday preceding Easter Sunday.

An eye witness was said to have disclosed that the renewed hostilities occurred at about 7.00 pm last Saturday when gunmen stormed the village in their numbers, shooting sporadically injuring three people in the process. The injured persons were said to be urgently taken to the Kafanchan General Hospital for medical attention.

The attackers were said to be heavily armed with sophisticated weapons and carried out their onslaught for about 30 minutes. There was no intervention by security operatives detailed to the zone.

The renewed genocide took place after a peace and reconciliation meeting between locals and the Fulani people was held. The renewed hostilities may threaten the efforts toward finding solution to bloodbath peace in Jema’a Local Government Area which has turned war zone of sort in past one year.

ALSO SEE: Again, suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded Southern Kaduna, 13 Killed

However, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has described the weekend onslaught as inhuman and callous.

The governor, in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Samuel Aruwan, condoled with the victims’ families, while affirming that security operations are being ramped to rid the forest areas of the bandits.

He disclosed that a new security measure called ‘Operation Harbin Kunama (II)’, would soon be launched to help the Army deal with persons responsible for the attacks. El-Rufai urged the security operatives to double their efforts in fishing out those behind the killings, and to act promptly on carefully vetted intelligence.

Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, has been a volatile tension zone since the invasion of local communities and killing of the inhabitants by Fulani herdsmen. The tension is exacerbated by the helplessness which both the federal and the state governments have thrown the people in a hypothetical deliberate reluctance to provide security in the local communities.

The Fulani herdsmen have in the past months waged war against Christian communities in Southern Kaduna in which over 850 people have been killed and about 57 persons have suffered life-threatening injuries. Homes and other property of the local people have been destroyed by the invaders. The Fulani herdsmen also drive the people away from their farms and occupied their lands.

Residents of the invaded communities who spoke to National Daily narrated that the Fulani herdsmen often strike with sophisticated weapons. The locals were said to rise in some occasions to repel the invaders of their land but the Fulani herdsmen merely retreat to reinforce with more sophisticated weapons and recruiting mercenaries from neighbouring states to fortify their battalion and launch deadlier offensive onslaught, chasing the people away to other communities not under siege.

They are narrated that soldiers assigned to the communities merely watch the Fulani herdsmen wreak havoc on the communities, making excuses that they were yet to receive orders from the authorities to intervene and restore security. The locals, then, wondered why they were there at all, raising the suspicion that they were probably sent to support the herdsmen.

Accordingly, the locals provided data on the attacks on communities in Jemaa Local Government Area where the eight communities inhabited by the Fulani and Hausa were exempted from the attacks.

ALSO SEE: Fulani herdsmen attack Delta community

The data unveil that Rumada/Fulani villages in Jemaa LGA include: Dangoma, Jagindi Gari, Dalle, Banawuje and Kariyo. Other Hausa Fulani Muslim communities include: Kafanchan, Gidan Waya and Godogodo.

“None of these has been attacked and/or displaced in the past six months since the unabated terrorist attacks starting from the Ninte dispute,” the locals lamented.

The locals further narrated that indigenous Christian communities were attacked, burnt down and hundreds of persons killed, thousands wounded, the entire population sacked from their habitations and are now Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their farms and crops ravaged, set on fire while their 22 communities are being occupied by the Fulani invaders.

The 22 communities occupied by the Fulani herdsmen include: Ninte, Akwa, Angwan Anjo, Farin Gada, Golkofa, Farin Hawa, Godogodo-1, Godogodo-2, Pasakori, Tafan, Ungwan Maicibi, Ungwan Ali, Sabon Gari-Tafan, Manyi Kanju, Antang, Dogon Fili, Misisi, Mile one, Tudun wada, Amere North, Goska and Ambam.

The victims also narrated that their wives and girls who were not fast to escape are being raped by the Fulani herdsmen before they are killed. They, however, admitted that they put up little resistance against the Fulani and their mercenaries but have no access to the kind of sophisticated weapons used by the Fulani terrorists. “Any and all terrorist Fulani and their mercenaries killed were only dealt with while attacking our villages and farmlands,” the locals declared.

It was gathered that this is harvest period in the communities and the produce for the year is being wasted with the forceful ejection of the farmers from their homes and farmlands, leaving the farms for the Fulani terrorists to loot their produce, destroy whatever they cannot steal.

It was, however, revealed that the Ninte crisis was caused by Fulani youth who attacked and severely injured an elderly indigene, inflicting cuts on his body with machete, in his farm and left him at a point of death. “This led to reprisal attack by Ninte youth who revenged by attacking an elderly Fulani Ardo,” the locals said. According to them from there, the Fulani launched total war, acquiring sophisticated weapons to utterly cleanse the entire Christian community and the tribes in the zone.

The inhabitants of the troubled communities raised security alert in attempt to create awareness to the local population of the hidden agenda of genocide.

“We the people of Southern Kaduna are really living with our enemies. I want every believing child of our Lord Jesus Christ to note that a short while from now, those security operatives in Southern Kaduna will be replaced and fake security personnel will be brought in to systematically kill our people under the guise that they are from the military; also note that Kafanchan has been marked for destruction,” one of the locals declared.

He alleged that an Emir makes his palace available for delivery and safe keeping of all the arms the Fulani terrorists are using for the attacks; adding that helicopters ferry weapons to the Emir’s palace for war in Kafanchan and the surrounding villages where more Christians have been targeted to be killed.

The indigene alleged: “As at the time of this letter, 10 or more girls are with the Emir in his house/palace, they will be used to bomb Churches, crowded areas, motor parks.

ALSO SEE: Osinbajo summons IGP Idris, Buratai, others over renewed Southern Kaduna killings

Beware of Kagoro Day, etc. Terrorists that are killing in villages are living in his palace too.

There’s a grand plan to take over our homes, businesses, our lands, our daughters. Wives, etc.”

“Except we all fight the strongholds too, that’s the Emir, who pretends to love us, they will wipe us away from the surface of this earth. Let’s be security conscious; never trust them and let’s fight the evil; beware of them,” he advocated.

The indigene alerted that Goningora is number one target in Kaduna Township. He stated that they intend to attack Goningora anytime, insisting: that’s why they started arresting some Gwari people who have guns. He admonished that after taking over Goningora, they will start attacking other communities to conquer Southern Kaduna. He, then, urged the people to secure themselves by all means.

“The governor of the state and supporter of this evil plot knows everything. It’s no longer Southern Kaduna alone. Can we unite ourselves and forget our little differences? Christians should pray. The media are celebrating Sambisa Forest achievements. They have already asked the terrorists to move to Godogodo and other local communities; ensuring the terrorists move to Kaduna State. Let our fathers, our elites and well-meaning Nigerians etc, raise alarm to other countries, NGO’s, International organizations, etc on the plan to annihilate the people of Southern Kaduna,” the indigene stated.

Many of the locals raised alarm that government has been arresting indigenes of Southern Kaduna in order to weaken the communities and facilitate their invasion and conquest by the Fulani herdsmen.