Kaduna police denies fresh attack, killings in Southern Kaduna

• Threatens To Arrest, Prosecute Journalists Over Fake News

The Kaduna Police Command has urged media houses to seek clarifications from appropriate authorities on reports regarding purported attacks and killings in Southern Kaduna by armed herdsmen, saying the full weight of the law would be brought down on fake news in the state.

A statement by the state Police spokesman, ASP Muhammed Jalige, yesterday, said journalists who promote fake news would be arrested and prosecuted. The statement came on the heels of comments attributed recently to the National President of Adara Development Association, Dio Maisamari, over attacks and killings by armed men in Southern Kaduna communities.

Jalige Said: “The attention of the Kaduna State Police Command has been drawn to a fake and maliciously fabricated story being circulated on social media, purportedly issued by the National President of Adara Development Association dated May 28, 2020 captioned, ‘Again, Fulani Herdsmen Attacked Southern Kaduna Communities,’ in which the writer reported that there were fresh attacks on some communities in Kajuru Local Government, where he claimed that from January to May, 2020 people were killed, with many injured and displaced from their homes.”

Jalige recalled that the Command had confirmed two unfortunate incidents of attack on Gonar Rogo and Unguwan Arha communities in Kajuru area of Kaduna State on May 12 and 13, 2020 by unknown gunmen, which regrettably led to the unjustified killing of 27 innocent persons.

He said: “The Command, therefore, wishes to categorically debunk the story in its entirety as fake and deliberately disseminated to create fear and apprehension in the minds of peace loving people of Kaduna State and Kajuru in particular. 

“The authority is saddened by the recent attacks on some communities in Kajuru, although relative peace has been restored. It would not fold its hands to watch certain individuals, whose aims and objectives (yet unknown), are tantamount to truncating efforts of the Police, other sister security agencies and Kaduna State Government in ensuring that lasting peace returns to the affected areas, by making unnecessary inflammatory statements and raising frayed nerves…”