Over 60 persons still missing in Kajuru after herders’ attacks, says SOKAPU

Urges authorities to recover decomposed bodies from bushes
Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has said that over 60 persons are still missing after recent attacks on 15 communities of Kajuru by herdsmen.

Not satisfied with the manner the police and Kaduna State Government were handling the attacks and killings in Kajuru, the group called on government and the police to trace the whereabouts of the 60 inhabitants and recover the decomposing corpses in the bushes for proper burial.

The National President of SOKAPU, Jonathan Asake, in a statement yesterday in Kaduna, slammed the police and the state government for their inability to address the genocide by armed herders in Southern Kaduna.

Asake, who led leaders of SOKAPU and Adara Development Association (ADA) to deliver food and religions materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the weekend, said: “We are here to see these people; the people that have been displaced from their various communities into this primary school, in Rimo, Kajuru Council. We heard about it and we know they have been displaced without food; they could not carry cloth and their beddings. They are sleeping on bare floor in this primary school. So, we have decided to come with some relief materials.

“But, again, we heard a very sad report from the police authorities in Kaduna that there were attacks only on May 12 1nd 13, 2020 in Gonan Rogo and Unguwar Arha, and that outside that there is no where attacks and killings had taken place.”

He criticised the police and Kaduna government for allegedly trying to misinform the world over attacks and killings in Southern Kaduna.

“From the information available to us, several communities have been attacked in Kajuru Council, not only Unguwar Arha and Gonan Rogo as asserted by the police.”

Besides, the leaders of SOKAPU and ADA in Kajuru condemned the statement by the police in Kaduna purporting no fresh attacks and killings, whereas victims of the May 18 to 24, 2020, attacks were presently camped at Rimo Primary School.

The police in Kaduna had denied any fresh attack in Kajuru, warning against the spread of fake news.

The statement by the police on Saturday was on the heels of comments by the National President of ADA, Dio Maisamari, over the attacks by armed men in Southern Kaduna.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mohammed Jalige, had 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 Council where he claimed that from January to May 2020 people were killed and many injured and displaced from their homes.”