By Lawal A Dogara, Kaduna
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include Kaduna among the state’s designated to be visited by the Governor David Umahi-led sub-committee on farmer/herdsmen crises.
A statement signed by the union spokesperson, Mr Yakubu Kuzamani, said it’s unfortunate that despite the loss of lives and properties worth billions of Naira in Southern Kaduna communities to the overdue crises, Kaduna was not included among the states proposed to be visited.
While calling on the Buhari administration to make adjustments , he described the exemption of Kaduna from the list of States as a “deliberate attempt to suppress the truth and misinform the rest of Nigerians and the entire world” that the crises in Kaduna was a mere reprisal.
According to him, instead of the incessant killings of innocent persons to subside, it only kept increasing.
Kuzamani said “a statement dated February 1st , 2018, and signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Laolu Akande, in the office of the Vice President, the Federal Government, at a resumed sitting of the Working Group set up by the National Economic Council (NEC), on Herdsmen/Farmers’ violence in some parts of the country, “constituted a Sub-Committee to visit frontline States involved in herdsmen/farmers’ conflict and hold consultations with stakeholders and interested parties on how to end the conflicts.”
The PRO further stated that the Sub-Committee, with Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State as Chairman, according to the statement, is expected to visit Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and Adamawa States “in order to understand the different dynamics of the conflict and develop long-term workable solutions.
“Other members of the Sub-committee are Governors of Plateau, Benue, Taraba, and Adamawa States.”
SOKAPU spokesperson lamented that ” Kaduna State, which was once the axis of horrendous killing fields where hundreds of people were murdered in cold blood by terrorists in several LGAs, has been schemed out of this visitation schedule that holds the prospects of ending this orgy of bloodshed.”
He went on: “Let the Federal Government and NEC not be deceived: Southern Kaduna is still under invasion by armed herdsmen and their antics are getting even bolder by the day. Just before the 2017 Christmas, two towns in Southern Kaduna were subjected to unprovoked attacks by suspected herdsmen that led to the death of 10 people and destruction of property. These attacks were on December 22 and December 24, 2017. Few hours to the close of 2017, a paramount ruler in Sanga Local Government Area, with his pregnant wife, were killed and his residence set ablaze.
“Presently, nothing has been done to bring these merchants of death to book. Just as our people were welcoming the New Year, the Paramount Ruler of the Bakulu people, His Royal Highness, Agwom Akulu, Yohanna Sidi Kukah, was abducted by criminals suspected to be herdsmen and was only released after spending over a week in their custody. There is daily kidnapping of Southern Kaduna natives and many communities have not had easy access to their farmlands since 2016, hence poverty and hunger have become their companions.
“SOKAPU is also astounded that despite the incessant killing of villagers in Birnin Gwari, in the eastern part of Kaduna state, the NEC did not deem it fit to include Kaduna State on the schedule of states to be visited. Just few days ago, reports on yet another killing between villagers and cattle rustlers in Birnin Gwari attracted not just national, but international attention as well. SOKAPU is of the view that such killings that have gone on unperturbed for long need to be probed upon to find lasting solution,” Kuzamani concluded.
