CSW\u2019s Chief Operating Officer Scot Bower said: \u201cCSW extends its deepest condolences to the families of Abdulrahman Babagana, Darman Dungus, Joseph Prince, Ishaku Yakubu, and Luka Filibus. These cowardly executions constitute a gross violation of international law, and we condemn them in the strongest terms. Once again a death cult that goes to the most appalling lengths to extort money and garner headlines has deprived the world of dedicated, courageous individuals who worked selflessly to assist vulnerable communities in a dangerous area. We urge the Nigerian government to adequately resource the military units serving in the north east of the country, enabling them to address the terrorist threat decisively, and to offer adequate protection for civilians.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 21 July the Nigerian Senate passed a resolution calling for the country\u2019s Service Chiefs to step down following a motion moved by Senator Ali Ndume in the wake of the killing of 23 soldiers in an ambush<\/a> in Katsina State in the north west and the mass resignation of 380 soldiers<\/a>, 356 of whom cited a \u201closs of interest\u201d as their reason for resigning. However, the Nigerian Presidency has rejected the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tenure of the current Service Chiefs, who have been in office since 2015, has been marred by an acute deterioration in security due to a multiplicity of armed non-state actors. On the evening of 22 July, Katripan village in Kaura Local Government Area (LGA), southern Kaduna State, came under attack by armed assailants of Fulani ethnicity, who were eventually repelled. It was the latest incident in a sustained campaign of violence<\/a> targeting farming communities in southern Kaduna which has been ongoing since January 2020. Violence continued during a COVID-19 lockdown, and appears to have intensified during July, claiming at least 60 lives so far. CSW Nigeria has warned<\/a> of increasing food insecurity in the area, as unchecked violence and a concomitant mass displacement are now occurring during peak farming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 21 July the Nigerian Presidency reacted to the relentless violence by claiming in a statement<\/a> that southern Kaduna enjoyed \u201ccomprehensive security deployments\u201d which were \u201con the ground on a 24-hour basis.\u201d The statement attributed the violence in the area to \u201can evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds,\u201d and implied that attacks on farming communities were in response to alleged violence committed by their victims: \u201crevenge and counter-revenge only creates a circle of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State Chapter, Rev John Joseph Hayab, regretted that state and federal governments were \u201ctwisting facts<\/a>\u201d and \u201cmisinforming the Nigerian and the international community\u201d by claiming southern Kaduna enjoys comprehensive security: \u201cCAN wish to unequivocally assert that the government has not done enough to stop the never-ending attacks, nor has it demonstrated guaranteeing steps to arrest the aggressors.\u201d Rev Hayab asserted that \u201cthe government’s attitude simply assists criminals killing innocent citizens to be viewed as the victims.\u201d He also called on the authorities to \u201capply the principle of justice for all in addressing this and other conflicts\u201d in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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