We Can Prove That 808 People Were Killed in Southern Kaduna - Catholic Church Makes New Revelation

Hundreds of people including children were killed by Fulani herdsmen in Southern Kaduna in recent times

 

Chei.......The Catholic diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, says it has evidence to prove that 808 people were killed in the southern part of the state.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TheCable News on Tuesday, Ibrahim Yakubu, vicar-general of the Kafanchan Catholic diocese in Kaduna state, says it has evidence to prove that 808 people were killed in the southern part of the state.

 

The priest who said the killings allegedly carried out by herdsmen were between 2011 and 2016, is reacting to the federal government and security agencies who had disputed the casualty figure when it was first made public late last year.

 

The influential cleric challenged those in doubt to come forward with their own evidence, saying the church was in possession of the record since its members were the ones involved.

 

“We expected that the security agencies would have flushed out the attackers from their hideouts in the bushes and hills, but that has not been done yet and people are still leaving in fear.

“Those disputing that 808 people were  killed in the attacks by herdsmen should produce their own evidence.

“The church has the records of the attacks and the killings. The death toll recorded was from the end  of 2011 to the end of 2016.

“I have read the figures given by NEMA in north-west, we have details of our the attacks, killings and destructions, it is our members that were killed and we have all the records,” he said.

 

The bishop of the Anglican diocese in Kanfachan, Markus Dogo, said though calm had returned to some parts of the regions, killings were ongoing in the rural areas, and appealed to the security personnel deployed to the area to go into the hideouts of the attackers.

“Last week somebody by name Peter Danbaki  was killed in a village called Bakin Kogi on Monday and he was buried on Wednesday.

“Up till now the farms are not accessible because the herdsmen are still in their hideouts and no farm dares to go to farm. We are yet to see the military or police entering the bushes to chase these people from their hideout.

“Life is gong on in the towns, people are moving here and there. Yesterday, I went to Gidan Waya and I came back without any problem.

“We were thinking that with the security presence, there could have been some kind of manhunt, some kind of invasion of the bushes by the security agencies to flush out the killers from their hide outs, but we have not seen that yet.

“I cannot say that we are not satisfied with the security steps taken, but we are expecting that more should be done. Our people are predominantly farmers and they want to be able to go to their farms freely without being killed or harm.

“So, they are expecting that the security personnel should comb the bushes where the herdsmen are hiding. Some people have not harvest their farm produce because of fear. So we want the security agencies to do more especially in rural communities were the killings took were taking place,” he said.

 

According to the First Man of Kaduna State, approximately 20,000 people have been killed in the constant crisis in the northern state since its inception 37 years ago.

 

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai

 

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has disclosed that about 20,000 people have lost their lives to crisis since 1980 in the state.

 

He made the disclosure on Tuesday when a delegation of the executive team of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, led by its President, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, paid him a solidarity visit in Kaduna on Tuesday.

 

The governor said the solution to killings in the state was the enforcement of law and prosecution of perpetrators.

 

El-Rufai, however, observed that apart from the Justice Benedict Okadigbo Tribunal on the Zango-Kataf Religious Crisis, past government had not prosecuted anybody over their involvement in various crises in the state.

 

Noting that some arrests have been made in connection with the ongoing crisis in the state, El-Rufai vowed to prosecute all those found to be behind the recent killings in the three local government areas of Jema’a, Zango-Kataf and Kaura.

 

He said, “Since 1980, about 10,000 to 20,000 were killed in Kaduna State during crises and government did not prosecute anybody. We are determined to end the killings in Kaduna. Henceforth, the law will fully apply without fear or favour.

 

“We have made some arrests and you will be shocked to see the calibre of perpetrators that we are going to prosecute. No matter how highly-placed the person is, we will bring him or her to face the full wrath of the law, to serve as deterrent to others who may want to sponsor crisis.

“Some of the things you are hearing are not true. Some people have made up their minds to spread hatred and falsehood especially in the media. We thank you for your visit to Kaduna. Don’t stop at Kafanchan, go to communities to see things for yourself and also interact with all the stakeholders to have correct and accurate facts. By doing so, your delegation will know the truth. Let me correct this impression, it is not the entire Southern Kaduna that is under attacks, we have problem in three local government areas but crisis in the areas have been brought under.”