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Nigeria

Campaign of violence continues in Southern Kaduna

21 Apr 2017

At least 12 people were killed and many more injured when Fulani militiamen attacked Asso Village in the Jemaa local government area (LGA) of Kaduna State in central Nigeria on 15 April.

A large number of heavily armed militia men descended on the village at around 7pm, attacking villagers as they attended Easter Vigil services. One unconfirmed source alleged that the gunmen were dressed in military fatigues. Another stated that during the attack some boasted about disrupting the Easter celebrations.

Fulani herder militia attacks on non-Muslim communities in the central Nigerian states of Bauchi, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau and Taraba, which have been ongoing since 2010, spiralled in May 2015, with States experiencing intense cycles of violence.

For over a year, southern Kaduna State has once again been the main focus of the militia campaign, with four of its eight LGAs suffering regular massacres that have claimed at least 800 lives. The Kaduna State Government eventually deployed troops and police to the area in December 2016 to address the violence; however, the killings have continued, with villagers also targeted as they tend their fields. 

The attack on Asso occurred despite the heavy security presence in southern Kaduna. According to local sources, the majority of police and soldiers who were deployed to Asso in December 2016 had been withdrawn on Good Friday, with the exception of four policemen who were easily overwhelmed by the attackers. As the violence continued, more soldiers and policemen arrived, but they too were outnumbered and obliged to take cover along with fleeing villagers.

In a statement, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and urged the security agencies to redouble their efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice, adding that emergency services had been directed to assist the victims.

However, a statement signed by the Most Revd. Dr. Joseph Danlami Bagobiri, Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese and Chairman of Southern Kaduna Christian Elders Association, said: “The attitude of the state government has been marred by lots of complicity and bias which exacerbated rather than ameliorated tensions. … The Governor has the penchan[t] of using state apparatus to insult, denigrate, intimidate, arrest and put in prison all voices of reason from Southern Kaduna who dare to challenge his handling of this crisis. … The primary responsibility of government as enshrined in the constitution is the protection of life and property of citizens irrespective of ethnic and/or religious persuasion. Any breach of this fundamental principle of social contract contravenes the very reason for which Government exist for [sic]. Unfortunately, our government both at the Federal and State levels have failed woefully in this regard because of their inability to rise above ethnic and religious bias.”

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said: “Once again we find ourselves condoling another community in southern Kaduna that has been devastated by a militia that appears able to attack at will and to evade an extensive military presence with ease. The attack on Goska on Christmas Eve 2016 ought to have underlined the need for increased protection for predominantly Christian communities in the area during significant seasons in the Christian calendar. Yet, in a move that is as inexplicable as it is inexcusable, the security contingent stationed in Asso was reduced significantly on Good Friday, with predictable and tragic consequences.”

“The continuation of attacks in which perpetrators are neither apprehended nor identified underscores the ongoing failure of government to fulfil its primary mandate of protecting citizens. If the Kaduna State government is to restore the confidence of a significant proportion of the local populace, it must, as a matter of urgency, initiate and intensify efforts aimed at tracing, disarming and prosecuting the killers; compensating and caring for survivors, and restoring  occupied  lands to their rightful owners.“


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