Linus Oota, Lafia
Akwanga Local Government Area, the headquarters of Nasarawa North Senatorial Zone has hugged the limelight for the wrong reason: bloody massacre. A week ago, precisely on the 14th of April 2019, the Kuchum-Numa community in the local government became a red spot on the world map when Fulani herdsmen, in combat gears, armed with their trademark AK-47 rifle, invaded the peaceful village of Mada tribe at about 9pm during a child-naming ceremony. In the ensuing rampage, they gunned down 18 innocent souls, including the mother and father of the celebrant. The lives of children, women, men and the elderly alike, who had come to celebrate the happy occasion with them, were also not spared.
Among the dead were: Mathew Emmanuel, Justine Barau, Sarah Kabiru, Haruna Bana, Samuel Andaha, Ayuba Bulus, Magani Baga, Kadon Sule, Adegbayo John, Talatu Mada, Simon Anpani, Goddy Keku, Ali Nkene and the musical DG at the ceremony, Mr. Shauibu Abdullahi. Parents of the celebrant, Mr. Amos Julius and Mrs Mary Amos were also killed in cold blood, so was their newborn baby.
The barefaced killings and butchery in the area by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen portend ethnic cleansing and genocidal tendencies. It is most cruel, horrific, inhuman and barbaric that innocent and helpless people especially the most vulnerable (children, women, pregnant women, elderly), should be mindlessly hacked down in cold blood. Human blood flowed in Kuchum-Numa village, leaving in its path death, pains and sorrow. Many were rendered fatherless, motherless while children, pregnant women and the elderly were not spared as they were killed in their homes.
How a woman lost her entire family
A resident of Numa, Mrs Maiyuwa Bahago who gave horrifying details of the attack while telling our correspondent how she lost a pregnant daughter and three other children in the attack, noted that the unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday, April 14, 2019 when her children attended a naming ceremony in the neighborhood.
According to her, at about 9pm, some gunmen suspected to be herdsmen invaded the vicinity, shooting sporadically. “Four of my children were killed by herdsmen, one was pregnant, another one was a mother of three and two others were unmarried. They attended the naming ceremony and that was how they met their untimely death. How do I take care of these children they left behind? I do not have anyone to help me bring them up. I need prayers and help from well-meaning Nigerians to take care of them,” she cried uncontrollably.
Shot while trying to escape
Apart from Bahago, some survivors who are now receiving treatment at the Akwanga General Hospital narrated their ordeal. A young man by name, Maikasuwa Ngila, who sustained injuries on the leg, said he was shot at while trying to escape from the scene. “I attended the naming ceremony in my village,” he recalled. “These Fulani people were together with us at the event because we know them very well. We have lived with them for decades without any problem. They even ate together with us at the ceremony. Little did we know they had a different mission. We had never disagreed with them or had any skirmishes with them, so we were very free with them and that has been the tradition since decades ago. We were together when the ceremony started. We even ate together until about 9-10pm, they suddenly turned against us and started shooting. We ran looking for a safe place to hide but before I knew what was happening, I was shot in the leg. I saw them; they are Fulani Herdsmen. I don’t know what came over them to kill our people like goats. The Fulani militia shot at defenseless women and children while others armed with machetes and hatchets hacked young people to death, the innocent and unarmed people ran frantically looking for escape routes but were sprayed with bullets,” he said.
An elderly man’s account
Another survivor, an elderly man, who sustained bullet wounds in the face, Maikano Ayuba said it was an unfortunate incident. He said he was hit by bullets as he stood up to leave the venue of the naming ceremony. “I stood up to leave because it was getting late. But the next thing I heard were sporadic gunshots and a bullet landed on my face. I did not know what came over the Fulanis. Bullets were flying everywhere; it happened between 9 and 10 pm on Sunday night.”
Why the attack took place
Our correspondent gathered that the attack was a reprisal against what happened on March 23, 2019 when an under-aged schoolgirl from Mante village in Andaha, in Akwanga Local Government was kidnapped, gang-raped and killed by the Fulanis. When her parents went in search of her, they too were attacked and killed while houses were burnt and properties destroyed.
The incident was said to have happened when some Mada girls returning from a wedding ceremony were waylaid by the Fulanis. In anger, Mada youths in the area launched an attack that claimed the life of a Fulani boy and some animals in the process. But the Fulanis numbering over 200 in the area were said to have launched a counterattack in Maite and Ndem during which time they burnt down 27 houses.
Governor Al-Makura expresses disappointment
Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura who visited Akwanga General Hospital where the dead and injured were admitted, while condemning the attacks and the killings while demanded that a permanent security outfit be stationed within the vicinity of villages to ensure that such incident does not repeat itself.
Lamenting the strain in relationship occasioned by the attacks Al-Makura said: “This is very worrying for us in Nasarawa State because we have enjoyed tremendous peace between the herders and farmers. My administration will not allow this because we have been enjoying, peace and stability in the state in the last three years. We have not had this report of killings, so we would not allow this to continue. That is why we have to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to book.”
Traditional ruler, Senator speak out
Speaking to our correspondent, the paramount ruler of Akwanga, Chun Mada, Mr Samson Gamu-Yare said: “it is quite unfortunate, quite devastating that a peaceful, law-abiding and innocent community like Kuchum-Numa which have, over the years, decades, never been involved in any skirmishes, internal or external, will be attacked by Fulani militia, when in celebration mood, on the occasion of a naming ceremony. We never had any history of either social, political or economic disagreement. We have been living harmoniously with Fulani people for over a period of time. Everybody in the state can attest to the fact that Kuchum-Numa is the most peaceful community in Nasarawa State. The Fulanis interacted with them during the naming ceremony celebration before they suddenly resorted to sporadic shooting. The Fulani militias were among the people celebrating before they suddenly decided otherwise. There are survivors that identified some of them, already some names were mentioned, about two or more names were mentioned and we have already given the information to security agencies to take action.
“My appeal to the government is that the activities of these herdsmen should be monitored else we will start experiencing famine in this country which will be counterproductive to government appeal that people should return to farm. The rains are about to start in and we are now preparing for farming activities by clearing land and the Fulanis are chasing my people away from the farm,” he lamented.
In the view of the senator representing Nasarawa North Senatorial Zone, Philip Gyunka, “the attack is very unfortunate, is condemnable, so barbaric. I feel so bad that innocent souls were taken, so saddened that these are people that are armless, people that did not go for any war; they were celebrating a naming ceremony. The most unfortunate thing is that both the celebrant, the mother and the father were killed, a pregnant woman was killed, an aged person above 100 years is involved in this. They did not spare either women or children, and these are people that did not have arm. This is very unfortunate. I recently moved a motion on the floor of the senate calling on the federal government to establish a military base in this Akwanga area.”
The chairman of Akwanga Local Government, Mr. Samuel Meshi, also confirmed that the Fulanis have been part of them for long. “In any merriment, you see Fulani among them,” he said. “In this very celebration, the Fulanis were present and participated but at about 10pm, they suddenly turned against them and started shooting.”
A mass burial was held on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 for the 17 of the people killed that night, the celebrant baby having been buried earlier. Thousands of residents of Akwanga turned out at the solemn and sorrowful ceremony. Many were seen sobbing as the coffins of their loved ones were lowered to the ground.