SOKAPU cries out, Southern Kaduna communities under siege

Southern Kaduna indigenes, under the umbrella of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), have raised a fresh alarm of attacks and killings by Fulani militias in the communities.

In a statement by SOKAPU’s spokesman, Luka Binniyat, three people have died as a result of the onslaught and some others who are nursing various degrees of injuries were admitted in hospitals.

Binniyat said that Adara natives of Kallah ward, Kajuru Council of Kaduna State, witnessed another tragedy when “Mr. Kaduna Garba, 32, father of two children, braved it early yesterday morning, leaving his IDP camp in Kallah town with his kinsman, Francis Bala, 38,” but was killed by the militia.

He said: “The two men were ambushed and attacked just before getting to the village by armed Fulani with daggers and machetes while Kaduna Garba died instantly, Francis Bala escaped with injuries. Garba was buried this weekend in Kallah.”

Binniyat said, “Irmiya Bitrus, 20, from Kwakwa Village, in Atyap chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Council, is at a private hospital in Zoknwa nursing grievous injuries sustained from deep machete cuts. His friend, Dachomo Alamba, 20, with whom they were attacked on the outskirt of Kwakwa village around 7:30pm on Monday, October 26, 2020 by same armed Fulani men, died of his wounds on the spot after the assailants fled.

“This is coming after Manyi – Mashin village in Atyap chiefdom was razed and two people killed and the entire village sacked into an IDP camp in nearby Apiako village. Not less than five Atyap natives have been killed by Fulani armed men and several others injured in Atyap chiefdom since the Atyap leaders entered into a peace agreement with their long time Fulani and Hausa settlers in August 2020.”

The SOKAPU spokesman said, “more worrisome are Southern communities that are now fully occupied by armed Fulani militia some for over a year.”  (The Guardian)