The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), led by its President, Abubakar Mahmud, SAN, was recently on a fact-finding mission to the southern part of Kaduna, Kaduna state, to assess the level of damage to lives and property. VIVIAN OKEJEME was there for Blueprint
The incident of December 24th, 2016 is still very fresh in the memories of three communities in southern Kaduna. It is one incident that they will live to remember for a very long time, as many were killed, houses burnt and cars destroyed. The most horrible of the entire incident was the killing of a two-month-old baby by those who attacked Goska community.
The three communities, Goska, Dangoma and Bakin-Kogi were engaged in a fight which left their villages destroyed. The inhabitants of the three communities are mainly Christians and Hausa-Fulani. The recent incident was not the first in the history of the communities.
The level of destruction as reported in the media spurred the national body of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA into visiting the affected communities to have firsthand information on the level of destruction.
The 13-year-old daughter of a former local government chairman of Jama’a Local Government, Barrister Gideon Morik, was also killed in the fracas.
Morik, also a former state lawmaker, narrated the situation and the extent of damages done to the community. He accused a sister village, Dangoma, an Hausa-Fulani community of instigating the violence, which he alleged claimed the lives of 8 persons and three, who are still missing as well as many that were injured.
He said: “At about 5pm, on the 24th of December, 2016, a group of the assailants numbering 18 on that first day, invaded our village and started shooting sporadically and this left many scampering for safety.
“The bandits were from the next village, Dangoma. Everyone was trying to hide from the attack. While some were killed, some disappeared and could no longer be found up till now. We are yet to account for the three missing persons. A man and three women, a 70-year- old woman, John Samuel, 25, Philemon Adamu, 18 and one Isah, 20 are still missing.
“Some of the assailants hid at a primary school and were shooting people while they tried to escape through the route. Even at the moment, they still attack everyone who move two kilometers from here. No one from this community goes to farm now or leaves home.”
Speaking further, Morik revealed that more than 30 houses were burnt down and that the houses affected were mainly the modern structures.
Explaining how the attack was carried out, he said they were using a substance like powder in a cylinder like container, which they sprayed on the houses before they were burnt. He said, when the substance is spread out on the building, it will automatically ignite.
Another victim, Mallam Yubah Rasong, said he lost his 14- year-old daughter and his house, to the fracas, adding however that his aged mum was not at home on that day.
“My 14-year-old daughter was killed and my house was burnt down also but my mum was not at home at that moment. I would have lost her also. Everyone was running, as shooting continued. I slept in the bush till the next day to find out that my family house had been burnt. We are staying in a friend’s house that was not affected in the attack,” he recalled.
The NBA team moved to Dangoma, a village few kilometers away from the worst hit area, Goska. The people of Goska had accused Dangoma as the instigator.
However, at Dangoma, there was counter accusation that Goska community instigated the violence.
Welcoming the team, the Village Head, who is also Head of Forestry department, Galadima Dangoma, explained that in as much as the community (Dangoma) is Fulani dominated, it was not the one that attacked the Goska community, adding that the community has lived for more than 500 years in peace and harmony.
He further revealed that 4-5 days before the incident, the Goskas had been on their nerve with a body language showing sign of violence by intercepting vehicles and refusing them passage through their community to Dangoma.
The Fulani attacked them, but not Dangoma Fulani. We are 99 percent Fulani here and the mere fact that we speak the same language is not criteria that we are the attackers. Four to five days before the crises, they were showing that they wanted the crises.
A vehicle that supplies us bread was intercepted and was forced to go back. After a day or so, a lady that goes to buy yam and sells to us, was also intercepted despite the fact they knew her.
“They stopped the vehicle conveying her and stopped her from entering the village and her yams were destroyed. It was Gideon Morik from Goska that seized the yams from the yam seller and prevented her from entering our village. During the 2011 elections, they attacked our boys and about four of them were killed by the Goskas. I can confidently say that we have been here for more than 500 years in peace and harmony,” he concluded.
The District Head of Bakin-Kogi, Bakau Galadima, a retired teacher, who also spoke to the team, assured that the two communities had been living peacefully, seeing both parents and grandparents. He however, blamed the constant crises on the youth.
According to him, the youths engage in all sort of atrocities and taking all sorts of substances that influence their actions and thinking that ultimately ginger them into chaos.
He assured the team that he is set to dialogue with the warring community to broker peace, just as he thanked the NBA for their concern.
Prior to their visit, the team met with the Executive Governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to intimate him on the association’s mission.
The NBA President said: “We have been making efforts to know what went wrong. There is this widespread of anger in the community due to the ugly development. We are appealing to stakeholders to demonstrate caution on the issue. We can’t approach this on a law and order matter. We have to calm the warring factions and be careful in applying military approach. We need neutral intermediaries to negotiate with the factions in the community.
“We have spoken with our members to be voice of peace and play a positive role in the saga. They have to take leadership in the matter. This whole situation is unnecessary and there is no reason why we cannot live in peace. We will appeal to them to be more moderate in their utterance.”
Receiving the team, the governor said the state was open to views that could bring peace to the area.
“Only three out of the eight local governments are under attack. Solution to cattle rustling requires inter-state collaboration. The north-west settlement here and we were able to deal with cattle rustling.
“The issue of the killings in Southern Kaduna is difficult to understand. The recent killing is a spillover of the April 2011 post election violence. The Southern Kaduna crisis was inherited. Apart from law enforcement, we also need to take extra ordinary measure to deal with the issue. The issue of the recent attack was purely as a result of local conflict. No amount of law enforcement or military deployment can end the crisis.
“The southern Kaduna is a 36-year old crisis. I have decided to face it and I am going to end it. Inability to end issues among them is the reason for the conflicts. Between 10- 20 thousand people has been killed in this kind of situation since 1980.
“There was a time about three thousand people were killed and no one was punished for it. What we are dealing with now is 35 years of impunity. It is our intention to prosecute those instigating hate speeches and bring them to book. There is nothing that can be done to Southern Kaduna unless the application of law and order. They have started the arrest of the perpetrators. The masterminds will be brought to justice.
“We are ready to partner with NBA and enforce the law. A lot of people have taken position on this matter but their positions are not objective. In the next few weeks, people will get to know that insecurity and violence have consequences. We will shut down schools and offices over there,” the governor promised.
