Despite the hue and cry about the wanton killings in the country, some gun men believed to be Fulani herdsmen struck again yesterday in Zangang village of Atakar Chiefdom, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing 11 people.
Another set of such herdsmen had struck in Benue State on Monday, wherein 11 persons who were at the funeral rites of one of the slain policemen in Nasarawa State, were killed and many others injured.
At the Zangang village, more people were said to be missing while several others who sustained injuries from gunshots were said to have been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
The invaders reportedly burnt many houses in the attack including that of the District Head. The attacks which started on Sunday, became more ferocious Tuesday.
Narrating the ordeal of his people to THISDAY in a telephone interview, the District Head of Zangang, Mr. Yohanna Daniel whose house was burnt to ashes and was taken for dead, said he escaped death by the whiskers.
According to him, the invaders started their attack on Saturday through to Sunday and Monday adding that Tuesday’s attack was more deadly as the gun men whom he alleged, were Fulani herdsmen trooped to the village in large numbers, shouting “Allah akbar ( Allah is great) and shooting sporadically at residents of the community.
He said the invaders were dressed in black and red and were wielding AK 47 guns and pursuing people like chickens.
Daniel further alleged that the security personnel deployed to the area were not on ground when the gun men arrived and even when they came following the attack, they were complaining that they were hungry and left after some time.
According to him, “On Saturday, the Fulani herdsmen came to our residential premises with their cows and one of the boys in the community asked them why they were bringing their cows into our homes. Then they opened fire on him, but the boy was lucky as the bullet missed him and he escaped.
“On Sunday, we did not go to church. They attacked us again. Two of our boys were shot and were rushed to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Plateau State.
On Sunday, we sat down and discussed and we said there was the need for us to find a solution to this problem because these people are going about with their cows, carrying sophisticated guns.
“They will enter your farm and once you talk to them, they will open fire on you. We felt this will not help us and we thought there is need for us to all come together and address this issue amongst ourselves.
“Soldiers from Jos (Joint Task Force) from Plateau and Kaduna States gave order that nobody among my children who have dane gun that they have been using for hunting not to use it for hunting again.
“Today they were armed with AK47s. This is not an assumption; this is what they are using. We sat down and discussed with them, thinking that they will take our message to them, but that was not to be so. They went and planned another attack on us.
“Those who entered my village were well armed. It was like some of the things I used to watch in the movies. They were dressed in black and red, with sophisticated guns. They entered our village and were shouting “Allahu Akbar”, they were in large numbers. I cannot tell how many they were, but they were in large numbers.
“They started shooting us and everybody was running for his or her dear life. They were pursuing us like chickens. I was lucky; otherwise you would have heard that the District head was killed. I just managed to escape. When my people didn’t see me, they thought that I was killed. But they burnt my house and several other houses.
“We have discovered 11 corpses and we are just burying the corpses now. We are still searching for more bodies because many people are still missing. The police ordered us to do the burial. The police came and took pictures of everything and the names of those who were killed.
“We are under serious threat of elimination here and nobody seems to be telling the world about the danger we are facing in the hands of these fulanis.
“They go about with AK47 guns and are terrorising our communities. We cannot defend ourselves because we don’t have arms like them. We are really finding it difficult to survive here.
“We are told that there is security, whereas there is no security. If there is security why are these people always attacking us at will and killing us?
“If the soldiers that are deployed here had spent the whole day here on Sunday after we agreed with them that they will continue patrolling the area, but within one hour, they left.
“Since this incident happened today, they came but they complained to me that they were hungry. I don’t know the level I can tell you to understand the seriousness of what is happening here.
“I am a village man nobody may hear me but I am speaking the truth. The Fulanis want to pursue us from our lands”.
The incident was said to have dominated discussions at the state security council meeting presided over by Governor Muktar Yero.
Spokesman of the governor, Mallam Ahmed Maiyaki told THISDAY in a telephone interview that the state government was working out a solution to the problem in the area.
According to Maiyaki, “this incident has happened repeatedly, what government has resolved to do is to have direct engagement with the people of this community and the Fulani leadership for a lasting solution to the problem.
“Government commiserates with the victims of the unfortunate attack. Government has also directed security agencies to intensify the provision of security,” Maiyaki said.
All efforts to get the police reaction failed as the spokesman of the Kaduna state police command DSP Aminu Lawan, as he did not respond to the reporter’s phone calls.
--Thisdaylive
May 29, 2013, 09:05:48 AM