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Southern Kaduna indigenes, El-Rufai differ over killings

By Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief
27 December 2016   |   4:06 am
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) yesterday blamed Governor Nasir El-Rufai for the bloody attack against its people at the weekend.
El Rufai

El Rufai

•Troops arrest two men with ammunitions
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) yesterday blamed Governor Nasir El-Rufai for the bloody attack against its people at the weekend.

A statement by the group’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Yakubu Kuzamani, expressed concern that the attacks occurred during the 24-hour curfew in the area.

“While our people were forced to stay indoors, the marauding herdsmen, whose presence around Goska had been reported to the security agencies attacked the communities.

“They operated for hours and killed several people while their property were burnt without interruption from the security agencies,” the statement said.

Kuzamani alleged that the governor imposed the curfew on Zangon-Kataf, Kaura and Jema’a local council areas to punish them for protesting against herdsmen’s killing when the governor visited Kafanchan recently.

“Even the hundreds of policemen, soldiers and other security personnel who were deployed in the affected areas went there to enforce the curfew rather than stopping the killings,” the statement added.

However, El-Rufai has condemned the allegation and the attacks. He urged the security agents to fish out the attackers and bring them to justice.

A statement by the governor’s aide, Samuel Aruwan, lamented that the attacks took place: “While the government and security agencies were working assiduously to block all windows to ensure that the citizens throughout the three local council areas and the state at large were protected, it is worrisome that these forces of darkness who represent evil and inhumanity struck again to kill innocent citizens, burnt their houses and injured many.”

The governor promised that he would not be deterred, but remain resilient in stopping the menace.

According to him: “The attackers’ tactics are to divide the people, breed hatred and plunge the state into chaos. But we will triumph over these evil forces by the grace of Almighty God.

“They are threats to our existence, they are deviants whom we must put our hands together, irrespective of religion, ethnicity and political inclinations to confront.”

The governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to take inventory of those affected and bring relief materials to assist them.

Meanwhile, troops from 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army have announced the arrest of two men carrying ‎live ammunitions in Kagoma area.

The General Officer Commanding the division, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, said the gunmen were caught in a maroon- colored Volkswagen car on the road to the Sarkin Kagoma’s palace.

He said he had also directed the immediate deployment of troops to Ninte, another community in Southern Kaduna where the attacks occurred.

However, the paramount ruler of Kagoma, Paul Zakka Gyon, has appealed to the military to deploy more troops in Ninte to enable the residents who fled from the area to return to their homes.

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