…Army debunks allegation, says village complicit in terrorist activities
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) on Thursday condemned the Extra Judicial Killings maiming, outright stealing, looting cum extortion, unlawful intrusion, and harassment of law-abiding Fulbe Youths of Tilde Fulbe community and another area of Ladduga Grazing Reserve in Kachia Local Government areas of Kaduna State by suspected men of the Nigerian Army.
In a press statement signed and issued on Thursday in Kaduna by Haruna Usman Tugga, Chairman MACBAN,
Kaduna State Chapter alleged that the MACBAN as an umbrella body of Fulbe in Nigeria has received with serious concern information via calls and other means of communication from individuals, groups, media, and government functionaries over allegations of extra-judicial killings and incursion by Nigerian Military personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy Armament Technology School of Artillery (NASA) all located at Kachia, headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State into Tilde-Fulbe community and other communities within the Ladduga District, Kachia LGA of Kaduna State spanning three to four weeks ago and particularly on Saturday, 30h December 2023 where killings, maiming, outright stealing, and extortions were perpetrated by the Nigerian Army against innocent-abiding and peace-loving residents of the said Fulbe communities.
According to MACBAto to substantiate the information, it promptly called an emergency executive meeting of the association to get into the root of the matter and to find out the triggers, remote causes, perpetrators, and names of the victims.
Tugga said “arising from the emergency Executive Council meeting of MACBAN Kaduna State Chapter held on Wednesday 9th January 2024 in Kaduna City, over the premeditated and systematic extrajudicial Killings of Fulbe youth currently being undertaken by some badly trained elements in the Nigerian Army with bad motive not only for the Ladduga Grazing Reserve but the entire peace in many other parts of the State like Giwa, Jema’a, Makarfi and other LGAs of the state, the MACBAN
dispatched some of its members on a fact-finding mission to the affected areas and came up with the following findings.
“That about two (2) weeks ago, the operatives of the Nigerian Army seized one young man by the name of SAFIYANU ADAMU, 22 years old, who was sick and being conveyed to the hospital by his biological father and other relations. After six (6) days in the custody of the officials of the Nigerian Army, the dead body of the young Safiyanu was found in the bush.
Mallam AdaIdris, the father of the late Safiyanu, made a complaint at the Police station in Kachia. Having keenly listened to the complainant, the authorities of the police, after taking pictures of the lifeless body of the deceased Safiyanu and other information, ordered that the deceased be buried the same day according to the Islamic rite.”
“The said operatives of the Nigerian Army came back again to the village
(Tilde Fulbe) on the 30th day of December 2023 at about 10 am and perpetrated the following atrocities:
They shot and killed one NURA YUSUF at close range in Crossing Katul Market the full glare of thousands of people in the market and dumped his lifeless body along with his motorcycle in their military van and went away with it. Thereafter, his dead body was also found around Oduma Village of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State about two (2) days after they demanded the sum of Four Hundred Thousand naira N400,000.000) only from the deceased brother which sum was allegedly meant for his treatment, but they failed to call again after the brother insisted to hear the voice of the victim before he could give them the money.” It narrated.
Tugga revealed that “the trigger-hungry military personnel also arrested four (4) young men from the same village and later shot and killed all of them in cold blood and dumped their lifeless bodies in the bush around Antai village in Kachia LGA along the road leading from Crossing to Maro of Kajuru LGA. The already decomposed bodies of these innocent youth were recovered and buried by our members with the help of the Nigerian Police on Monday, January 2024 alongside one other person who was also arrested and killed in the same circumstance, therefore making the victims of the gruesome killing to five in number, they are:
Magaji Umar a.k.a Nouru
Akilu Abdullahi
Musa Abubakar
Ibrahim Sani
Abdulazeez Yusuf a.k.a Azeez
“These innocent youths were killed even though one of the Soldiers used the arrested young man’s phone to call the family and demand the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N300,000.00) only, for his release which release
never materialized. The soldiers had even sent the following account details to the relations of their victims as follows:
-ACCOUNT NAME: Halidu Altine
– NAME OF BANK: First Bank
-ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3124149608″
The group called for the immediate intervention of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kaduna State Governor to immediately order an investigation into these killings by ensuring that all the erring military personnel involved in the perpetration of these heinous crimes
against humanity are brought to book and victims’ families are compensated.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement signed by the Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations 1 Division Lieut. Col. MUSA YAHAYA issued to THE PUNCH, stated that the Nigerian Army is a professional force committed to the rule of law and utmost respect for the fundamental human rights of all citizens and hence cannot be involved in extra-judicial killings and stealing of citizens’ valuables as alleged. Moreso, the Nigerian Army belongs to the Nigerian people with representation from all parts of the country and can never be used as a tool to pursue an untoward agenda.
” For the avoidance of doubt and to set the record straight. On 21 December 2023, troops of the Division responded to a kidnap incident around the Crossing general area of Kachia Local Government. The kidnappers had stabbed a young man and dispossessed him of his motorcycle and the sum of Fifteen Thousand Naira (N15,000). The troops on arriving at the scene went after the kidnappers and neutralized 3 while one escaped with a gunshot wound and was later arrested by the troops on his way to the hospital.
“Imperative to mention that 30 December 2023 was the first time troops conducted any military operation in Tilden Fulani in which one Mr Ibrahim Abubakar was arrested on suspicion of involvement in insurgent activities. In the process of investigation, Mr Ibrahim Abubakar admitted to having been an insurgent providing details of his involvement in insurgent activities including spaces of kidnaps and highway raids. He volunteered the names of 5 persons in the community in possession of automatic weapons including his brother.
” This information necessitated another raid on the village. However, on arrival at the village, troops discovered that the 5 suspects had all fled the village with their families. Their houses were thoroughly searched but nothing incriminating was found neither was anything taken away by the troops.
” Intelligence further revealed that the village is complicit in terrorist activities and that most of the criminals have fled with their families for fear of being eliminated by the militia group in the area.
“It is therefore important to mention categorically, that at no time have troops of the Division killed or executed any Fulani herder or any innocent citizen, collected their money, motorcycles, and ginger. This is a smear campaign to sabotage the efforts of the Division to clear communities in its AOR of insurgency and terrorism.
Again, the arrear where the corpses were alleged to have been found has never been visited by the troops of the Division.
Consequently, the general public is kindly requested to disregard the malicious allegation against troops of the Division and to continue to cooperate with the Division and other security agencies to rid our area of responsibility of terrorism, insurgency, and other forms of criminality. We appreciate the continued support and understanding of the good people of Kaduna State and urge them to go about their lawful and legitimate businesses.
