Again, Gunmen Kill 10 Villagers in Kaduna

Again, Gunmen Kill 10 Villagers in Kaduna

* Killings fuelled by politics, revenge, says presidency

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

No fewer than 10 people were killed by suspected herdsmen in yet another attack on Monday in Gora Gan community, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna staThis is coming as the presidency has said that the increased killings in Kaduna are motivated by politics and revenge.

Seven people were said to have sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Zonkwa, headquarters of Zangon Kataf LGA.

The incident occurred less than 24 hours after gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Sunday, invaded Kukum Daji community in Kaura Local Government Area of the state, killing over 20 people.

The attack took place despite the 24 -hour curfew imposed on Zangon Kataf and Kauru LGAs over a month ago by the state government, following tension over the killing of a farmer.

Twenty two people had earlier been killed on July 12, 2020, in similar attacks on Kigudu and Chibob villages, also in Zangon Kataf LGA.

According to the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Mr. Jonathan Asake, the Gora Gan incident took place around 8p.m on Monday.

Asake said “In spite of the curfew imposed on Zangon Kataf LGA, the invaders freely went to Gora Gan on Monday night after the killing of over 20 people in Kukum Daji and launched another attack, which led to the killing of 10 people”

“This morning, 10 people were confirmed dead. Seven are in a hospital in Zonkwa .

“Some others are still missing and the youths are going into the bushes in search of them,” he said.

He urged the state government to assist the victims with relief materials to alleviate their sufferings.

He also appealed to groups and public-spirited individuals to help the victims.

Asake, while condemning the attacks, accused the state and the federal governments for failing to stop the incessant killings and destructions.

Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, did not respond to telephone calls and a text message sent to his mobile phone for his reaction on the incident.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has said that the increased killings in Kaduna are motivated by politics and revenge.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the state has a comprehensive security structure in place, but the complicated nature of the situation has made things difficult.

“The presidency wishes to state that the problem of insecurity in Southern Kaduna State is more complicated than many people are willing to admit,” the statement read.

“From available records, Southern Kaduna enjoys comprehensive security deployments, including the Army, Special Forces of both the Army and the Air Force, surveillance aircraft by the Air Force and mobile police units that are on the ground on a 24-hour basis to forestall criminality and keep the peace.

“But unlike other parts of the country, the problem of Southern Kaduna is more complicated than many critics are ready to acknowledge and understand.

“From available security records, the problem in Southern Kaduna is an evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds.”

According to the presidential spokesman, the killings have been fuelled by the decision to seek revenge.

“It is a situation in which one criminal group will kill a member of another criminal group out of ethnic and religious motivations, which in turn lead to the eruption of revenge and counter-revenge, thereby making the job of the security personnel deployed to protect lives more difficult,” he said.

“We note that revenge and counter-revenge only creates a circle of violence, thereby making everyone else unsafe, especially innocent people.”

He advised the people against taking the law into their hands, and urged them to report threats to law enforcement agencies.

“What is required is for the local authorities to radically improve their intelligence capabilities so that security agencies will be alerted in a timely manner to enable them forestall any planned attack,” he added.

The presidency also condemned the recent attacks by bandits in Igali, Birnin Gwari and Giwa local government areas of the state and urged security agencies to intensify efforts to address the situation.

Related Articles