From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The people of Southern Kaduna under the auspices of Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), yesterday, raised the alarm that terrorists were carrying out ethnic cleansing in the area.
Its President, Jonathan Asake, who spoke at a press conference on the impact of banditry and terrorism in the area in the last six years, sought the intervention of the international community and humanitarian agencies.
He said 200, 000 of his kinsmen and women were displaced while over 148 communities were destroyed by the bandits and terrorists, who have rendered various communities uninhabitable.
“We are calling on civil society organisations (CSOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), foreign missions, European Union, United Nations, among others, to beam their searchlight on the atrocities, crimes against humanities and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated against the people of Southern Kaduna.
“These horrendous attacks on Kaduna State, especially the southern flank, has become glaring, with both government and security agencies seemed 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 town 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 lack of capacity or willingness to stop them.”
On factors responsible for killing in the region, the SOKAPU leader said: “Mineral deposits and green areas for cattle rearing in the entire Middle Belt are responsible for killing in Southern Kaduna. We have concluded plans to take over our ancestral land because what is going on is ethnic cleansing in Southern Kaduna and the entire middle Belt. Several communities have been attacked in Southern Kaduna at genocidal proportion.
“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.
“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.
“Just this week 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. By 4:30pm of that fateful Monday, the attackers commenced their assault on Ungwar Rimi community, and continued to kill, maim and destroy property of the community without help from the security forces. The attack on Ungwar Rimi lasted for over three hours. By the time the attack was over, 12 persons were murdered, and no fewer than 52 houses were burnt after the village was looted of foodstuffs and animals, among others.”