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| Miyetti Allah |
The Kaduna State branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), the umbrella body for herders in Nigeria, has called for help over the alleged killing of their members and cattle.
The group called on the government and security agencies to come to their aid, alleging that Atyap youths in Southern Kaduna have been killing them and their cattle in what it described as coordinated attacks, Vanguard reports.
Atyap people are an ethnic group predominantly found in Zangon-Kataf, Kaura and Jema'a local government areas of Christian dominated Southern Kaduna.
Chairman of MACBAN in the state, Alhaji Haruna Usman Tugga, in a statement, said attacks against herders have been going on unchecked in Zango–Kataf Atyap (Kataf) Chiefdom.
“However, that does not mean that there are no incidents and reports of various inhumanities deployed against our people are not happening in other sections of Southern Kaduna,” he added.
“Sadly, from the middle of last year to the present day, those working against peace began to ignite violent atrocities on the Fulani Pastoralists, which has now led to the death of many people, particularly in Atyap (Kataf) Chiefdom of Zango-Kataf and Kagoro Chiefdom of Kaura local government areas.”
Describing the said attacks as premeditated and coordinated, Tugga identified them as the source of violence in the area.
Citing examples of such attacks, Tugga said, “On 24th of January, 2022, at Kizaga Village in Kauru Local Government Area, two (2) Fulani herders were attacked by some armed Kataf youth from Kurmin-Masara village of Zango-Kataf Local Government Area.
“They were killed instantly and one was beheaded in the person of (Ya’u Abubakar - 20 years old) while the remains of Adamu Usman Thirty (30 years old) were later found within the area. They also advanced to the houses of the Fulanis and burnt down several houses to ashes while also killing a one-year-old baby boy (Bilal Bukar) who was in one of the burnt houses.
“On 29th January, 2022, in Gankon village of Gora District, armed Atyap (Kataf) youths attacked a 19-year-old boy, Zakari Laulo, who was rearing his cows and lynched him to death.
“On 22nd January, 2022, 8 cows of Alhaji Momarwa died after drinking poisoned water in the village of Zunuruk in Jema’a Local Government Area respectively. On the 25th January, 2022, a young and innocent Aminu Dahiru was attacked and killed instantly in the same village of Zunuruk. After killing him, they attacked 41 cows.
“On the same 25th January, the Kagoro youths advanced forward to attack two innocent youths, Abubakar Musa and Adamu Para were severely injured and were treated at Kafanchan General Hospital.
“Primitively, on 31st January, 2022, one Aminu Ahmad, a young family man went to supervise his cattle on the hills of Kagoro but went missing within the axis of Tson-Jei and Kukum Gida in Kagoro Chiefdom.
“On 1st February, 2022, 16 cows belonging to Alhaji Momarwa were shot dead at Tson-jei village by the same Kagoro youths. The whereabouts of 22 cows are yet to be known. On 2nd February, 2022, twelve (12) cows were discovered killed in the village of Tson-jei belonging to Alhaji Momarwa.”
He, however, appealed to fellow herders to be calm and law-abiding and called on “Kaduna State Government and security agencies to rise up to their constitutional responsibilities by investigating and fishing out the perpetrators of these crimes against the citizens.”