Yesterday Tuesday, 2nd April, 2013 and today, CEDRA’s team of volunteers were in Attakar Chiefdom, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, for first hand assessment and observed with dismay the gradual genocide and ethnic cleansing of the peoples of Southern Kaduna by “unknown gunmen” using sophisticated weaponry.
On Saturday 30th March, 2013 up to wee hours of Sunday 31st, March, 2013 group of gunmen invaded Mafang and Zilang villages in Attakar Chiefdom, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State killing 28 persons, injured over ten persons, burnt over 100 houses,and destroyed and burnt to ashes farm produce.
As at now, there are scores of people missing and recovery of dead bodies in several locations of the villages in earnest. There are about 5000 persons comprising old men and women, children and young men and women scattered in other parts of Southern Kaduna as refugees in their own land, owing to the choice of blood thirsty group of killers invading villages and carrying out gradual genocide.
From the fore going, it is clear that Federal Government, security agencies and Kaduna State Government are playing politics with the security situation at hand, thereby the laxity and none cogent security measures in the areas, all these are pointers that, there are forces hell bent in committing genocide against the people, and have “unknown backers” arming them with sophisticated weapons to carry out their evil acts with impunity without any counter actions by security agencies.
It is consequent upon the foregoing, that we make the following demands:
Government must stop well coordinated influx of herdsmen into Southern Kaduna from neighbouring states. Their dwelling in Southern Kaduna is a threat to peace and will compound the already bad security situation at hand.
The Nigeria military high command should set up a Special Military Squad to supervise and put to an end the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna. The Special Military Squad should be directly under the Office of Chief of Defence Staff.
The Federal Government must proffer a holistic approach by creating a Homeland Office, with those Special Military Squads operating in collaboration with intelligence agencies carrying out covert and overt operations. In line with the need for an arial surveillance, the Federal Government and Nigeria’s military if REALLY serious should provide helicopters for containing the lingering killings,they should deployed them to all the killing fields.
That Kaduna State Government must as a matter of urgency prepare a robust resettlement action plan for those displaced and in refugee camps. Equally, such people resettled,be fully compensated to enable them start a life and cater for their families.
We call on Federal Government to set up a special investigation committee to ascertain those behind the act, and bring them to book. Any further delay and continue killings in Southern Kaduna will confirm the notion of gradual genocide.
Finally, we seize this opportunity to tell the whole world that there is a systematic genocide against the people of Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, Nigeria.And we pray for intervention of United Nations,African Union,and ECOWAS to avoid a repeat of what happened in Rwanda in 1994.
John Danfulani, Ph.D.
Spokesman CEDRA
At Kafanchan, Kaduna State
3rd April, 2013
