Kaduna locals insist ‘Lynched herdsmen’ are foreign mercenaries
On Monday, Birnin-Gwari inhabitants in Kaduna State, insisted that the two herdsmen that were lynched by mobs in the area were actually foreign terrorists from the Republic of Sudan to unleash mayhem on them.
They also faulted government’s hasty action in labelling the lynched men “herdsmen”, staying that they were international criminal syndicates from Sudan.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, representing Governor Nasir El-Rufai had, the day before, strongly condemned the lynching of the two herdsmen by mob.
Reports reached said that the mob forcefully seized the two herders linked to banditry and killed them.
“Security agencies reported that the mob forcefully seized the two herders from security personnel on unsubstantiated claims that they were linked with banditry. The mob then lynched and burnt the herders. even though they had not been found complicit of the allegations.
“Governor El-Rufai expressed deep concern at the violent actions of the mob, and strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings. He re-iterated the place of lawful methods as the only acceptable option in confronting any suspicion of criminality.
“The Governor appealed to the families of the victims to remain calm, and directed security agencies to conduct thorough investigations towards fishing out the perpetrators.
“The Governor has also directed the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to liaise with the military, police and DSS to contact the victims’ families for further engagements toward averting counter-attacks.”
However, the natives under the aegis of the Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressive Union, insisted that the lynched persons were not herdsmen as claimed and faulted the government’s hasty reaction without commiserating with the people who had suffered from terrorist activities in the area.
According to the BEPU Chairman, Isaq Kasai, available records which the union is privy to, “shows that the lynched ‘herders’ were terrorist mercenaries from the Republic of Sudan.”
A foreign identification card on one of the lynched persons indicated that they were from the Republic of Sudan. It bore the “Khartoum International Centre for Human Rights,” with a passport size photo of one of the lynched men.
He explained that the alleged lynched persons were not herdsmen as falsely reported earlier but international criminal syndicates that had been terrorising Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area.
He maintained that the alleged lynching occurred after the suspects forcefully snatched a motorcycle from a farmer at the outskirts of Birnin-Gwari main town, adding that even on the same day when the mob action occurred, “one driver was killed and scores were kidnapped at Dogon Hawa and Tabanni areas.”
(Punch)
