“After the burial service, scores of youths from the affected villages, including members of the Christian clergy from the affected communities, rushed to meet us with stories of how the army may have been used in the killings.”
metro
Yuletide turns funerals in Southern Kaduna, gunmen sustain killing spree
Over the years, Southern Kaduna has been on the receiving end, facing incessant ruthless attacks on its communities by assailants identified as armed herdsmen.
The attacks, which in most cases have resulted in the loss of many lives, especially the breadwinners of many families, children, and women, have forced them to become internally displaced persons in their own land.
The lives of these survivors of attacks and those of the victims’ families are irreparably damaged; they don’t know when they’ll recover physically from their injuries or come to terms with their losses, and many remain deeply traumatised.
The Kaura Local Government communities have been subjected to the most heinous attacks and unending killings of their loved ones.
The most deadly that became more pronounced and now poses a daunting challenge that must be tackled was the one that occurred on September 26, 2021, in Madamai Community, where 38 people were killed, and the recent one that took place on December 18, 2022, where another 38 lives were gruesomely killed and 104 houses were completely razed down.
Life has become so brutal and nasty for the people of southern Kaduna, who are mostly farmers. They can no longer boast of their lives, farm crops, or even their settlements.
While other states take terrorism very seriously as a security threat in order to provide assistance to victims, the Federal and Kaduna State governments, on the other hand do not render adequate support to victims and their families.
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Most of these victims of terrorism and their families are left at the mercy of their own predicament. Their rights as individuals are not upheld and protected.
Some of the victims, in separate interviews that recounted their ordeals, described the carnage in their communities as the worst they have experienced.
Mr Rikichi David, who narrowly escaped the attack, told The PUNCH that before the day that the incident took place, the military usually comes around for patrol throughout the day and leaves by 10pm, but on that day, the military patrolled the community till after 10.30pm, which we even applauded them for adding 30 minutes to the time.
“We saw one of the trucks leisurely cruising inside the community, and we thought they came back to continue with their patrol, but suddenly they went out again at a very slow speed toward the town.”
“We didn’t know if they were observing if our people are sleeping or not, and at that time I vowed to myself that I am going to stay out till 11pm because other days, from 10pm to 10.30pm, I retired home.”
Rikichi, who said he lost six family members during the sad incident, said the army trucks left the community a few minutes before 11pm and he went back home 10 minutes later, lied down on his couch, and started hearing gunshots.
According to him, they were preparing to bury one of their family members on Wednesday, and people came from outside for the burial and became victims. About three women were sleeping in my house when they were all killed.
He explained that when the attack took place, “the military was close by because gunshots can be heard from kilometres away. The soldiers couldn’t have gone anywhere because they were moving at a very slow pace,” Rikichi said.
“We manage to crawl into the bush for safety. From where I was, I could see the attackers having a field day inside our community, killing people, burning our houses, and shouting “Allah Akbar.”
“While they were perpetrating their evil act, they were advancing towards the hill, which was their escape route because they started from the highway. When they got to the hill, the last person shot into the air for a while and left,” he further narrated.
According to him, they’re suspecting foul play by those who are supposed to be their defenders. When the attack was going on, these people were moving as if nothing were happening, and when it got to the village, it fired four times after the attackers had already left.
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“The attack was well coordinated, orchestrated, and executed by professionals because all the entry points to the village where help can come from were blocked and the men used sophisticated weapons and shot sporadically,” Rikichi, who is also the Chairman of the Kagoro Development Association, Malagum 1, stated.
Another victim, Mr. Linus Utung, a traditional title holder, described the carnage infiltrated into his community as ruthless to the sanctity of humanity.
He said, “The community was thrown into disarray when they heard gunshots and some of the locals were killed while the military was present.”
According to him, a village head told him that they saw how two boys who were running for safety were gunned down by the military.
He said his house and motorcycle were burnt down while he watched helplessly.
Also, Rev. John Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, captured the agony of the people of Kaura during the 60th birthday anniversary of Apostle Emmanuel Kure, saying the killing of the 38 innocent, defenceless people of the Mallagum community was another piece of evidence that the killers have yet to be neutralised, as claimed by the government.
Amid the bloodletting, a series of peace talks have been organised by the traditional institutions, religious leaders, politicians, and other critical stakeholders to identify the conflict triggers and chart a way forward.
Some sympathisers who spoke to our correspondent in separate interviews during the funeral mass for the 38 gruesomely killed in Malagum and Sogwong communities lamented the neglect of the Kaduna State government in providing relief materials to the victims.
Their reactions echoed, “This has shown the ineptitude of the government towards the people of southern Kaduna.”
The councillor representing Malagum 1 community, Hon. Atuk Stephen, who spoke to our correspondent, said residents had deserted their communities to seek refuge in neighbouring villages.
He called the situation “barbaric” and urged the government to act quickly to provide relief materials to the victims.
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“As I am talking to you now, none of these villagers escaped with a single cup of beans; all of their food stuffs were burnt down.
Atuk expressed concern that the carnage perpetrated by the communities would prevent the elections from taking place.
However, he noted, “There are ongoing plans to disenfranchise our people from participating in the 2023 general elections, and the government must show its might in ensuring these terrorists are crushed while sanity returns.”
He said there has been no security stationed in the affected communities until now, calling on the government to deploy security in the vulnerable communities to help reduce tension.
In one of their emergency meetings, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Southern Kaduna chapter, through its chairman, Alhaji Haruna Usman condemned the ceaseless killings among farmers and herdsmen in the state and resolved to do everything possible to ensure that the people live in mutual respect, understanding, and peaceful coexistence irrespective of any difference.
He noted with sadness that the lives of farmers and herdsmen are wasted incessantly in the communities over trivial issues that can be solved amicably.
The chairman reiterated the association’s willingness to contribute and support efforts to restore normalcy and lasting peace to all nooks and crannies of the area, against which he appealed to all associations to organise meetings and dialogues that would aid in uniting the people.
On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Kafachan, His Lordship Bishop Kundi, lamented, during the burial of the 38 victims, the level of killings and government ineptitude towards the people of Southern Kaduna.
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, in a press statement issued to newsmen over the weekend, said that during the mass burial for the slain victims, they heard very disturbing allegations against the personnel of the Nigerian Army in the massacre.
The union lamented that there was no representation by the Kaduna State government.
“No message of any sort was sent. No relief material has been sent to the displaced,” the union stated.
According to SOKAPU, six families were wiped out and 102 houses were totally burnt. Homes were looted of grains and valuables before being burned down by the assailants, whom survivors identified as armed Fulani herdsmen working with men they claimed to be from the Nigerian Army.
metro
NAF destroys terrorists’ gun truck, neutralizes over 20 fighters, repels attack on troops
NAF destroys terrorists’ gun truck, neutralizes over 20 fighters, repels attack on troops
NAF destroys terrorists’ gun truck, neutralizes over 20 fighters, repels attack on troops
metro
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
One Onyeka Ubaka has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexual assault and maltreatment of a 16-year-old girl in Lagos State.
He was convicted and sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday.
Justice Rahmon Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
Ubaka was initially arraigned on January 12, 2024, and was initially charged with defilement through one-count information filed on October 26, 2023, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, presented a single witness, the prosecutrix, whose testimony proved particularly significant in establishing the case against the defendant. The prosecutrix who provided a testimony, identified the defendant as her boyfriend and disclosed that she was 16 years old in 2023 and that her relationship with the defendant began in her mother’s shop.
The victim testified to the court that the defendant had multiple instances of sexual intercourse with her, which resulted in pregnancy and childbirth.
“The defendant is the father of my child. He impregnated me, and the child is five months old.”
According to PUNCH, the victim, during cross-examination, gave testimony evidence that incriminate the defendant.
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In one instance, she disclosed that the defendant took her to a bar, gave her yogurt to drink, and after she drank it, she lost consciousness. She further disclosed that she woke up in a hotel room and realised that the defendant had non-consensual sex with her and told her to keep the incident a secret.
At the court proceeding on Tuesday, Justice Oshodi disclosed to the court that the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, had informed the court that the parties had entered a plea and sentence agreement dated and filed on November 25, 2024. The court then charged and convicted the defendant on the amended charge of indecent acts and sexual assault to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Justice Ramon, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the charges brought against the defendant, and found the defendant guilty of indecent act and sexual assault.
“From the evidence presented by the prosecution, I am satisfied that the essential elements of indecent acts and sexual assault have been established. There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion. The defendant’s guilty plea further justifies his conviction for the offences contained in the amended information.
“Therefore, I find the defendant guilty and convict him under Sections 134 and 263 of the Criminal Law Supra”, he ruled.
When asked what he had to say, the defendant begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
“Temper justice with mercy so that I will take care of my responsibility,” he appealed.
It is gathered that the defendant’s father had paid the sum of N300,000 and had undertaken to sponsor the prosecutrix first degree and take full responsibility for the child until the child is eight years old.
The prosecution counsel in her final statement asked the court to convict the defendant according to the plea bargain.
“We ask that the convict be sentenced according to the plea bargain agreement starting from the day of remand, March 23, 2023, and this will pass a message to society that sexual offenders are not tolerated in our society.
“We also ask that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register”, Okeowo said.
Justice Oshodi then found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
metro
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
CSP Adetayo Akerele, Chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, announced the arrest of 53 suspected criminals in Gowon Estate.
Akerele said this operation aimed to boost safety, security, and environmental decorum in the area.
“The agency apprehended drug peddlers, addicts; miscreants; street urchins; illegal street traders and people of shady business dealings.
“We found various illicit drugs and narcotics, including Indian hemp, codeine syrup, and colorado,” Akerele said.
The operation brings relief to residents of Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, and surrounding areas affected by these criminals.
“Residents have endured trauma and safety risks due to these unauthorized squatters.
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The taskforce is committed to safeguarding residents and ridding the metropolis of individuals preying on law-abiding citizens,” Akerele said.
The agency will monitor other criminal hideouts, blackspots, and abandoned properties.
“This vigilance aims to deter individuals with sinister motives.
“These arrests demonstrate our determination to maintain a safe environment.
“We will hold every individual involved in these illegal practices accountable,” Akerele said.
The 53 suspects will face charges for narcotics-related offenses.
Residents are urged to report suspicious activities through the “See Something, Say Something” initiative.
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
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