MANY communities across the three senatorial zones in Kaduna State are suffering serious security challenges. Birnin Gwari, Chikun
, Igabi, Giwa, Kaduna South and Kaduna North local government areas are hotbeds of kidnapping. The bandits, who usually operate in large numbers and are armed with sophisticated weapons, have terrorised the residents of these communities, leaving them in perpetual fear.
The locals and the several voices representing Southern Kaduna interests have since alleged that the sad events in the area were about ethnic cleansing and parts of a grand plan to exterminate the predominantly Christian communities of Southern Kaduna and take over their lands. The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union noted that no fewer than 50 locals were killed in just a week in July while many houses were razed.
In an interview with The Nation, Kaduna State Director of Media and Publicity, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria , Malam Ibrahim Bayero Zango, said that Zango Kataf youths should be blamed for the latest killings in Southern Kaduna, adding that the authorities should go after them and bring them to book.
“The two men that were killed are Abdullahi Ja’e and Pate Ja’e, who were in their early thirties. Another two young men with an elderly woman were killed at Ungwan Juju. Four others were killed at Gora Sagwaza and one person was killed at Matai. “And we have a situation where these displaced communities are taken over by those that did it. They move in with their cattle from only God knows where. And the federal government is making no effort to prosecute these people who are moving about with AK47 and machetes.
“The destabilised people in the affected communities cannot go back to their places because their attackers are still around. They cannot go to farm or their houses or settlements. To crown it all, the authorities have imposed a 24-hour curfew in Zangon Kataf, Kaura and Kauru. “And then you hear this statement from the governor and the commandant of Operation Safe Haven confirming our fears that the authorities are complicit in the attacks that are being carried out in Southern Kaduna.
“For instance, Buruku, Batna and so on are all under Gbayi communities. These places are under SOKAPU. “Also, when I hear people in government say it is a communal clash, or it is a farmer/herder clash, it is totally laughable. The gory pictures of children you see being hacked to death, do they look like people who were armed? Were they killed in the farm?
“At least I have heard the governor saying the same thing that policemen cannot be in every community. So, that is the way out,” he said.The state government and the security agencies have however dismissed the insinuation of ethnic cleansing, saying that the killings in the area are results of attacks and reprisals.
“There is need for the communities to embrace peace. On our part, we will create the conducive environment for them to meet dialogue and resolve issues so that they can continue to live together as they have been living together.” “Our government purchased an estate to provide accommodation for a permanent mobile police squadron in the area. Also deployed in the area are troops from Operation Safe Haven and Nigerian Army Special Forces, complemented by two mobile police squadrons.”
“Like an unwanted virus, the violence has spread to and has necessitated extraordinary measures in four local government areas in Southern Kaduna,” he added.
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