Insecurity: Southern Kaduna Residents Cry For Help

The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Foreign Missions, the European Union, United Nations to beam their searchlight on the atrocities, crimes against humanities, ethnic cleansing being perpetrated against the people of Southern Kaduna under the watch of Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

The President of the union, Jonathan Asake said, “These horrendous attacks on Kaduna State, especially the southern flank, has become glaring, with both government and security agencies seem incapable of reining in the activities of these vicious bandits. From the ongoing, it is clear that the bandits/terrorists have taken over many villages and towns and are closing in on the Kaduna city centre.

SOKAPU believes that these bandits may soon take over the Kaduna metropolis, including the Kaduna State Government House if the government continues to show a lack of capacity or willingness to stop them.”

He explained that at the moment, about 200,000 persons are displaced while 148 communities have been taken over by the terrorists with no assistance from the government.

The President observed the continuous deterioration of the security situation in Kaduna State, particularly in the southern part, saying that it is very clear that Kaduna State is under siege by a combination of killer Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups who have continued to terrorise peaceful, vulnerable and defenceless Nigerians resident in the state.

“There is no single day that passes without an ugly incident of attacks and massacre in rural communities or mass abductions of people in both rural communities and suburbs of urban areas. These ceaseless attacks have continued to leave in their trail tales massacre, maiming, destruction of property and crops, raping of women and mass displacement of persons from their homelands,” he stated.

He said that on Monday, April 25, 2022, heavily armed killer Fulani herdsmen in their large numbers riding on motorbikes invaded some communities in Kamaru ward, Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area where no fewer than 25 persons were murdered in cold blood, adding that by 4:30 pm of that fateful Monday, the attackers commenced their assault on Ungwar Rimi community, and continued to kill, maim and destroy the property of the community without help from the security forces.

He added that the attack on Ungwar Rimi lasted for over three hours, saying that by the time the attack was over, the Daniel Sunday (47); Andrew John (27); Ariko Adi (28); Jummai Thomas (87); Monday Gani (29); John Amah (52) and a retired civil servant, David Amah (63).

Jonathan Asake said that after three hours of the attack on Ungwar Rimi, the invaders proceeded to Ungwar Magaji; a community that has been attacked at least four times since 2014, where the rampaging herdsmen commenced yet another round of violence, six persons were killed.

He stated that these recent attacks in Kauru LGA is just one of the series of attacks that have been waged against Southern Kaduna communities since January this year, stressing that in January 2022, Kurmin Masara and surrounding communities were attacked where no less than 16 people were murdered and 38 houses razed down by these killer Fulani herdsmen. On February 2, 2022, Zamandabo was attacked, resulting in the death of one person and 15 houses destroyed.

In Kajuru LGA communities, he said between January 4, 2022, and April 12, 2022; no less than 38 persons were killed across 40 communities, and about 200 abducted for ransom, saying that most of the communities are forced to cough out millions of naira without any intervention from the government.

He explained what he called the “unacceptable” kidnap incident of 22nd February, 2022 when the armed bandits invaded Idon Hanya market in the heat of business and took away at gunpoint 22 persons, mostly women into the bush, like a herd of sheep, saying that till date, no one has said anything about their fate.

He explained that most of the villages in Chikun LGA have been sacked, with scores killed and hundreds kidnapped, while the villages destroyed, saying that thousands of these displaced people are living under dehumanising conditions in various IDP camps.

He stated that in Mararaban Rido, Chikun LGA, and a suburb of Kaduna city, no less than 12 kidnapping incidences have been reported between January and April 2022, with scores abducted whose whereabouts are still unknown, pointing out that no fewer than seven lives have been snuffed out by these deadly bandits.

In Ungwan Bulus and Ungwan Gimbiya in Chikun LGA, he stated that no fewer than 50 people were kidnapped and eight killed from January 2022 to April 27, 2022, by armed bandits, stressing that the Kaduna- Kachia route has become dangerous for motorists and travellers who are constantly being kidnapped for ransom.

“The spates of insecurity shredding Kaduna State recently hit the peak when on March 28, 2022, an Abuja-Kaduna bound train was bombed , less than 48 hours after the Kaduna Airport was attacked and an official of the airport killed. During the attack on the train, no less than eight passengers were murdered.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is yet to account for the whereabouts of 165 passengers that were on the ill-fated trip. While mourning the attacks on the train and the airport, another group of bandits launched yet another deadly assault on a military base located in Pole Wire Village in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State, killing 12 soldiers and injuring 19 military personnel,” he lamented.