Bandits Kill 25 In Southern Kaduna, Residents Lament

The Southern Kaduna People’s Union has lamented following the killing of 25 persons by suspected Fulani militia. 

 According to a report by Punch, the umbrella body of the Southern Kaduna people said suspected herdsmen attacked some villages in the Chawai Chiefdom in the Kauru Local Government Area of the state killing innocent persons. 

 The SOKAPU National President, Jonathan Asake, while addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Thursday, said heavily-armed suspected Fulani militia on Monday, April 25, 2022, raided some communities in Kamaru ward, Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area, killing no fewer than 25 persons, including a 102-year-old native of the area. 

 According to Asake, the attackers operated for over three hours unhindered, killing, maiming and destroying properties, adding that the continued deteriorating security situation in the state, is worrisome. 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 added that several houses were razed while livestock and foodstuffs were destroyed by the hoodlums who invaded some of the villages in large numbers on motorbikes. 

 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 added, “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.”