Kaduna Village attack: How main victim, 5 friends were murdered …Family suspects assassination

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By; ABDULL-AZEEZ AHMED KADIR, Kaduna.
More facts are emerging on how gunmen invaded the farm of late 35 year old Abdullaziz Mustapha in Gurunzu village, a suburb of Rigasa in Igabi Local Government Area, killing him, four of his friends and one of his staff, and later shot and wounded two of the locals on their way back from the farm as they flee.
A son of one of the deceased; a staff of the late Mustapha who was until his death a tractor operator recounted, with emotion laden voice how the gunmen who came on a motorcycle snuffed life out his father, the other four and later went after Mustapha.
The son (name withheld) said the incident happened shortly after they prayed early evening (Asr) prayers in the farm. According to him, a Fulani milk maiden came and alerted them that she saw some men armed in a distance roaming and what seemed like searching for someone, but the late Mustapha was quick to dismiss her suspicion saying it may be Police on patrol in mufti.
Few minutes after buying the milk from the Fulani maiden, late Mustapaha was said to have left others as he move round the farm for inspection.
The gun men came on a motorcycle and the boy said sighting them, his alarm antennae rose and he climbed the nearest three which was his saving grace. Not seen by the gun men, he saw all that transpired and was the only survivor among all that were present on the farm.
According to him, on arriving, the gun men approached one of Mustapha’s friends asking in Hausa language “who is Mustapha”. The friend was said to have answered in the negative which infuriated the man.
He remove a gun and pointed at the man’s head. Scared, the man was said to have made for his pocket and produced a voter’s card to identify himself, yet, the gunman shot him to death.
One of the gunmen was said to have pointed at the car of Mustapha asking “where is the owner of this car”?
The sound of the gun shot attracted the attention of the late Mustapha and he came towards his friends when one of the gunmen sighted him and aimed his gun at him.
Mustapha was said to have turned to run away when one of the gunmen shot him from behind through his shoulder and he fell. They went after him as he made to stand up and run again.
Weakened by the first gun shot, they catch-up with him and another of the men with a matchet aimed at his head which he tried to protect, using one of his hands and he got slashed. The second attempt saw him used his second hand and the same thing happened.
After this, the eye witness said they machete his head and later shot him on his forehead with the bullet piecing the head and came out of the back of the head before they hoped on the motorcycle and flee.
While the villagers recalled the goodies they have enjoyed from the late Abdulaziz Mustapha, the latest being a borehole he constructed for their benefit, others recounted the easy going and generous nature of the late Mustapha.
Aside other good deeds of his, some of the locals said they remember how many time the late Mustapha allowed his tractor to be used on other people’s farm at a peanut or even free of charge. Some said they have benefited tremendously from the late Mustapha and wondered who would have the gut to take his life.
A visit by New Nigerian Newspapers to Ingawa road, Tudun Wada New Extension, Kaduna where Mustapha resided as a student of Chemical Engineering while in Kaduna Polytechnic, as well, Kasuwar Barchi where he operated a stall selling fairly used clothings known as “gwanjo” in local parlance, saw many lauding the good nature of the murdered Chemical Engineer.
His former Landlady speaking through teary eyes, said of all the tenants that has passed through her abodes, there was none she could compare with the late Mustapha, especially for his peaceful and friendly nature.
She described him as highly religious and tolerant. She prayed for the repose of his soul and to God to expose his killers.
Some of his former colleagues and friends in the second hand clothing markets where he was jokingly known as “Jumping”, a nickname they said he acquired due to his hustling nature and ability to combine many jobs at once and make a success of almost all spoke of him along same line.
Some recounted how even as student in Kadpoly, his shop was always a beehive of activities with clients coming and going even if he was not around. They described him as highly resourceful and unassuming.
ASSASSINATION?
Family sources, some who pleaded anonymity said they suspect assassination. Though they said they knew no one with whom the late Mustapha had any problem as he was easy going, very religious, quick to appologise for any wrong and generous to a fault.
They said in his car at the farm was huge amount of money running into hundreds of thousands but not a cent was taken. Of all the valuables in his car, only his mobile phone was said to have been taken by the attackers.
This they said points to the fact that someone may have called earlier to know his location and communicate same to the gunmen before they went after him. So, the phone must have been taken to provide a cover for the culprit
They also pointed at the fact that within the NNPC, same has occurred before with the last one been in Kikinau, Kaduna, where a staff of the NNPC was murdered in cold blood in his house with his killers taking nothing from the house.
Before that, there were similar cases in Abuja and Minna involving NNPC staff too they noted.
The late Abdulaziz Mustapha is a staff of the NNPC, Suleja Depot.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Kaduna State Command, Ibrahim Adamu has assured that the killers of Mustapha and his friends would not go unpunished as the security agents will spread their drag net and ensure the perpetrators are brought to book and made to face the wrath of the law.
Fielding questions from Journalists when he  paid courtesy call on the leadership of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna Council, Adamu assured that crime trend in Kaduna is under serious scrutiny and various perpetrators of different crimes would be made to pay for their acts just as prevention is the Command’s major objectives.
Meanwhile, the locals of the village, as well, Rigasa have called on the authorities to stem the tide of violent attacks, kidnapping and increasing insecurity in Kaduna as they have never witnessed these incidents at this alarming rates before.
Rigasa and environs with a population of over a million has only one Police outpost often manned with maximum of five Police and usually unarmed. The pleaded for more security presence.
They asserted that they won’t mind a military formation in such area to wade off men of the underworld and their nefarious activities.

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