*Say’s El-rufai shows no empathy, assistance to victims
*Links attacks to 2023 election
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) said 46 persons have been gruesomely killed in an unprovoked attacked in Southern parts of Kaduna in Kaduna state in the past five days by suspected herdsmen.
The Union in a statement on the recent attacked and killings in the area lamented what the Union described as the gruesome mass murder of not less than 38 harmless and armless villagers in Malagum 1 and Abun (Broni Prono) villages in Kaura Local Government Area of Southern Kaduna in Kaduna state.
The statement signed by SOKAPU spokesman, Mr. Luka Binniyat stated that the killings which lasted for long, started around 11pm Sunday night simultaneously.
According to SOKAPU, “Not only were these, poor innocent citizens killed, not less than 100 houses were razed with some victims burnt alive. At the time of releasing this statement, volunteers are still combing surrounding bushes in search of missing persons and more corpses.
“The villagers had noticed the gathering of strange herdsmen coming from different directions on motor bikes to set camp in nearby bush some days back. Apparently, the security forces deployed there did nothing under this glaring potential threat to security.
“Especially as this dastardly act is coming five days after armed herdsmen herded their cattle into a farm owned by Cletus Dunia, 45, in Kpak village, a sub-unit of Kagoro, in Kaura LGA and shot him dead at close range before mutilating his corpse and fleeing with their cows.
“The rampaging herdsmen also shot and killed Levi Zakaria, 19 as he was harvesting yams on a farm that was by the fleeing path of the killer herdsmen. Same day, the same herdsmen killed Ezra Sunday 16, about 2km from where Zakaria was killled.
“The same herdsmen cause the dead of Gaje Habila, 31 when he fell and died of exhaustion while escaping the killer herdsmen, leaving behind a widow and a six month old baby – his only child”, ot stated
It added that, meanwhile between last Tuesday and Wednesday, armed men described as herdsmen, invaded some homes in Kamuru village, Ikulu Ward in Zangon Kataf LGA in Southern Kaduna and killed 4 persons
“This is to say that 46 persons were killed in unprovoked attacks in Southern Kaduna in the past five days.
“These attacks are coming close to the 2023 general elections. We believe that the aim is to further destabilise Southern Kaduna and give excuse to the Federal Government to stop election in the area, especially.
“Already there are thousands who have been chased out from their ancestral homes as a result of similar violence unleashed on them, especially between 2019 and this year.
“Let it be put on record that in the hundreds of attacks that has put many parts of Southern Kaduna into ruins and thousands killed since 2014, we have not seen anyone arrested and brought to book over these heinous crimes against humanity.
“Instead, it is Southern Kaduna traditional leaders, clergy and human right activists that do get arrested and put in prison over trump up allegations of ‘incitement.”
“Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s new found obligation to its citizens is to arrange a quarterly press briefing to inform the world of how many of his citizens have been killed every quarter of the year and how many have been kidnapped. After that nothing! The killings and kidnapping continues.
“Governor Nasir el-Rufai has not shown any empathy with the victims by giving them the most little assistance that a responsible government owes its distressed citizens.
“Today, thousands of residents of these two sacked communities and surrounding villages are leaving their homes in drove as IDPs in any area they may find some measure of safety. Their survival will depend on the good will of kindhearted persons and groups, certainly not his government.
“We condemn the resurgence of these mass slaughter and we call on government to take its responsibility of securing lives and property very serious or it should leave the stage.
“We call on our people not to take the laws into their hands, but should remember that their right to self-defence is not only natural but constitutional too”, the union stated.
