- Burn 215 Houses, Churches
- Group Sends SOS Message To FG, UN, Kaduna Govt, NGOs
Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has passionately appealed to well meaning Nigerians as well as Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, the United Nations among other relevant International Organizations including local NGOs and Human Rights groups to pressure the Federal Government and Kaduna State Government to “stop the genocide in Atyap land” in the Southern part of Kaduna state.
This appeal was contained in a press statement issued and signed by the Spokesman of the Union, Mr Luka Binniyat and made available to The New Diplomat. The statement was in reaction to the bloody attacks on the people of Magamiya village in Atyap Chiefdom, Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna state which lasted for several hours late Tuesday.
The group said 33 locals have been killed by armed herdsmen across villages and towns located in the local government in the last six days, while four churches and 215 homes were said to have been burnt down by the assailants.
According to the statement, gunmen identified as Fulani herdsmen stormed Magamiya village, at about 11pm on Tuesday, 13th July, 2021 and started shooting.
Regretting the development, the statement said the family compound of the traditional ruler of Atyap Chiefdom, Sir Dominic Yahaya was attacked, saying “several blocks of flats and rooms that make up the family compound of five households were looted of valuables and foodstuffs which were carted into four waiting Hilux vans”.
After the operation, ”the houses were set ablaze just as a relation of the revered traditional ruler, Mr. Toma Tauna, 70, was subsequently killed by the assailants”.
Similarly, the irate killer squad and arsonists went further to “loot 6 more homes which they also burnt leaving one Mathew Pama, 62, dead in the same village”, SOKAPU’s Binniyat regrettably recalled.
While calling on government and international bodies within and outside Nigeria to “ensure the culprits” of these heinous crimes “are brought to justice.”
SOKAPU recalled that “after putting in about 2 hours of unchallenged murder, looting and arson, the armed herdsmen attempted to burn down St Pious Catholic Church in the village but help came from other villages and attackers retreated in the Hilux vans for another village”.
Reacting further, Luka Binniyat said “Magamiya is about 3km from Zangon Kataf, a semi-urban town where combined troops of soldiers and other security men are camped completely with patrol vehicles and armored tanks but the same assailants returned and passed besides Zango Kataf town and drove 5km west of the town and attacked three other villages from around 1:30 am this morning (Tuesday, 13/07/2021).”
During the attacks, Matyei which is “made up of 156 homes were all burnt” just as “the Catholic Church in Matei and its pastoral was burnt. The Catchiest, simply known as Catchiest Yau and an infant, were killed in the attack. In all, 8 persons were killed last night in Matyei in a violence that lasted for over an hour”.
After the attacks in Matyei, “the armed Fulani herdsmen went down to Abuyab Community about 500 meter away and burnt down ECWA church Abuyab and the home of Former ECOMOG Field Commander, Maj. Gen. Shekari Billyok (rtd) and 11 homes. Their attempt to attack Runji Community, a nearby, was however repelled by villagers who got reinforcement elsewhere”.
As they retreated, SOKAPU spokesman said the armed herdsmen attempted to destroy the main bridge linking Matyei with Zangon Kataf town and other Atyap Communities, but succeeded partially.
According to the statement, on Tuesday’s night, “the same herdsmen came in Hilux vans and attacked the Atyap of Makarau and Kachechere Communities, a development which it said left 10 people confirmed dead with 12 houses burned after looting them just as the ECWA and the Anglican Church pastoriums serving the communities were set ablaze.
“In a nutshell, 20 Atyap natives were killed by attackers (who all the villagers that saw them) identified as armed herdsmen between afternoon and today’s morning, Tuesday, 13 July, 2021.
“The previous day, Sunday, 11th July”, the statement pointed out: “Warkan Community, about 7 km east from Matyei, came under fire by armed herdsmen, leaving 8 people dead. The village was looted and animals rustled before 11 homes were burnt by invaders”.
Earlier, SOKAPU further recalled that on 9th July, 2021, one Timothy Ayok, a 35-year-old man from Makarau village was ambush and killed dastardly by armed herdsmen “as he returns from his farm that afternoon.”
Similarly, on 8th July, at Kibori village, about 1km from Zangon Kataf town, “a widow, Mrs Esther Patrick, 65 and her family of three were wiped out, including her 6 year old grandchild, Yerima Godfrey.
“In the past 6 days of this attacks, at least 33 Atyap natives of Zangon Kataf local government Area of Kaduna state, were massacred, 4 churches and 215 homes burnt by their assailants always identified as armed herdsmen, in a genocidal campaign that has been become very intensive since 2016.
“SOKAPU condemned this wicked act, the complicit silence and in-action of government from taking steps to bringing the perpetrators and their leaders to justice” the spokesman said.
The New Diplomat had recently reported that a report published by International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) had said “genocide is taking place in Nigeria” currently under various guiles, warning that “an implosion in the country would destabilize the surrounding countries and send millions of refugees into Europe and beyond.”
According to the report, Jihadist groups including the killer herdsmen had killed over 50,000 Nigerians in the last one decade. The report further stated that the “Fulani land grab” phenomenon has largely gone under-reported in Nigeria as Jihadists continue to make efforts towards extending their territories around the country.
