SOKAPU President laments over security situation in Kaduna

The Southern Kaduna People’s Union National President, Jonathan Asake, said heavily-armed suspected Fulani militia on Monday, April 25, 2022, raided some communities in Kamaru ward, Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area.

Asake  revealed that no fewer than 25 persons, including a 102-year-old native of the area were killed.

SOKAPU has described the attacks being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen on some villages in the Chawai Chiefdom in the Kauru Local Government Area of the state as “horrendous”.

He spilled that the security situation in the the state is of a great concern because the attackers operated for over three hours unhindered, killing, maiming and destroying properties.

He identified those killed during the attacks on Chawai to include, Daniel Sunday (47); Andrew John (27); Ariko Adi (28); Jummai Thomas (87); Monday Gani (29); John Amah (52) and a retired civil servant, David Amah (63).

Others, he said, are Malu David (31); Moris Kure (53); Ravo Agah (61) and Sati Ringo (39). No fewer than 52 houses were burnt after the village was looted of foodstuffs and animals, among others.

He continued that about 200,000 persons are displaced while 148 communities have been taken over by the terrorists with no assistance from the government, adding that with the current increasing wave of insecurity in the southern part of the state, it was clear that the state was “under siege by a combination of killer Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups.”

Against this background, the SOKAPU boss called on Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, Foreign Missions, the European Union, and the United Nations to beam their searchlight on the atrocities, and crimes against humanities being perpetrated against the people of Southern Kaduna.

He said, “These horrendous attacks on Kaduna State, especially the southern flank, have become glaring, with both government and security agencies seem 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 towns 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 a lack of capacity or willingness to stop them.

“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.”