By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), on Thursday, distributed various relief materials to natives of 36 Adara communities in Kachia Local Government Area (LGA) who were recently displaced by armed herdsmen attacks, as survivors took the opportunity to narrate their neglect by the Kaduna State Government.
The President of SOKAPU, Hon. Jonathan Asake, who met the IDPs at the Adara Town Hall in Kachia town, about 150km South of Kaduna metropolis, told the IDPs, whose total numbers are estimated at 10,000, that there are people who care much about their plight and hadlve donated for their welfare.
“I am here with my team, to express our solidarity with you and to bring you good will from Governor Nyesom Wike of River State who came to Kaduna in April for campaigns and donated to the IDPs in the state,” he said.
“I have followed the cruelty that you have had to face in the hands of marauding armed herdsmen and your subsequent displacements, which has also attracted the sympathy of Gov, Wike,” he said.
“It is unacceptable that peaceful, harmless and unarmed people will be living their normal lives just to be attacked, killed, kidnapped and the communities taken over by armed herdsmen and no one is called to book,” he said.
“But the world is watching this criminality against you and other affected communities of Southern Kaduna and by the grace of God, justice shall come one day,” he said.
“The major reason where there is a government is for the protection of lives and property and where that is not in place, then the purpose of that government has failed,” he went on.
“I am therefore, calling on the international community, all men and women of good will and conscience to intervene for these poor people and come to their ,” he pleaded.
Asake then handed the relief materials to leaders of the communities, which included bags of rice, beans, maize, gari, various forms noodles, pasta, food seasoning and salt.
The other items were: cartons of vegetable oil, bags of sugar, cartons of petroleum jelly and soap, including children diapers. The materials are valued at N12.8 million.
While accepting the donation on behalf of the IDPs, Mr. Markus Danja, Private Secretary to the late Agom Adara, Dr. Raphael Maiwada said that the entire Adara nation was grateful to the kindness of governor Wike towards them.
“God will bless and give the governor peace and progress for remembering us, because no one has shown so much regards to us. And we want to also thank SOKAPU for standing by us always,” he said.
“I just want to add that we have been neglected by government as if we don’t exist. The IDPs are going through hell after escaping from their villages with nothing but what they are wearing. I am appealing to government and other good people to come to our assistance,” he said.
But the Adara Youth Leader, Kachia LGA, Onamza John Danzaki, was more forthright on the conditions that the IDPs were facing.
“When these attacks started forcing our people out of their villages, those who escaped to Kachia and had nowhere to lay their heads, the empty hostels of Government Day Secondary School, Kachia was the place they stayed. The Principal was kind enough to allow them into the unused hostels.
“But sometime in March this year, the principal of the school said that the Adara IDPs must vacate the hostels. He said he was called to Kaduna and ordered to inform us to leave the hostels with immediate effect,” he said.
Speaking further, he said, “That has been the beginning of another round of trauma. Even though government gave us nothing in the hostels, but at least we had kept our children, go and struggle and return to stay together as a community,” Danzaki said.
“Today, some of us are staying in uncompleted buildings, or just move from one spot to the other at night. Some are squatting with relatives, some who have lost their jobs under this government and their situation is no less bad like the IDPs.
In fact, these materials you have brought today, they are equally qualified to share with us,” he went on.
“Let me be frank with you,” he went on, “some of our girls have been forced into prostitution just to get something for their families,” he went on, “even some married women who have been pushed to the last, sleep around to provide food for their families,” he said.
“What the men do? Even menial jobs are hotly competed for. No place to go and farm. Nothing to do!” he said.
“Today, there are over 80 hostages with the invaders and they are demanding for huge amounts of money from us before they free them. they are mainly women and children. And we cannot even feed!” he said in anger.
“What have we done to deserve such neglect from the government of the day?” he lamented.
The National President of Adara Development Association (ADA), Mr Dio Maisamari, who is also the 1st Vice President of SOKAPU, told his kinsmen not to lose hope.
“Be strong and stand united. As evil and as bad as it is, one day, we shall conquer,” he said.
This will make the make the 5th intervention by SOKAPU since it flagged off the distribution of relief materials to IPDs in Southern Kaduna from the Governor Nyesom Wike funds of N120 million.
