By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), has alleged with concerns that since 2016, when the killings took turn for the worst in the area, there is no evidence that any culprit has been arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Luka Binniyat, SOKAPU’s spokesman, in a statement stated, “SOKAPU condemns in no small terms the carnage visited on Unguwan Wakali by enemies of peace and humanity. In more than the 200 invasions of communities of Southern Kaduna, in which thousands of lives were wasted and no less than 245 communities displaced all as a result of herdsmen and bandits attacks, no form of assistance has been rendered to survivors by Kaduna State government.”
They called on the international community to help put pressure on both Kaduna and the Federal Government to bring the killers to justice and to provide the IDPs with essential needs.
“We are also calling on our youths to exercise restrain in the face of these provocations and give full cooperation to security agents while keeping vigilance over their communities,” the forum pleaded.
According to SOKAPU, last Saturday, 11th March, 2023, between 8 and 9pm, marauding armed herdsmen laid siege on Unguwan Wakili, in Atyap Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA), in Southern Kaduna killing 17 persons and escaping into the night, saying that the ever busy Kafanchan – Saminaka Express way cuts the town into two halves, because of its accessibility to other parts of the state, Unguwan Wakili has become rather cosmopolitan.
The statement explained that earlier on that Saturday, according to reports reaching SOKAPU, herdsmen caused a skirmish at the main checkpoint on the eastern entrance of the village when they rode provocatively on four motor bikes in pairs in a manner that drew the suspicion of the Mobile Police (Mopol) manning the check point, stressing that one of the riders was shot on the leg during the altercation and the rest fled on foot, leaving behind their bikes as one Mopol was shot from a stray bullet by his colleague.
The statement added that the retreating herdsmen later cornered an isolated farmer returning to Unguwan Wakili, pursued him into a harvested yam farm and butchered him to death, pointing out that as tension became high that Saturday evening, the Mopol were promptly replaced by a contingent of the military who have an operation camp on the fringes of the village bordering Zangon Kataf town.
It further explained that though the signs were very ominous that the killers would return at night, there appeared to poor vigilance on the parts of the villagers and those sent to protect them, saying that the herdsmen came around 8pm when most households just had or where preparing super.
It said rattling gunshots sounds from the southern end of the town took everyone off guard, explaining that from that the angle they invaded the village, the checkpoint taken over by the military was not more than 600m away.
By the time the killers left, the statement explained that 16 persons lay lifeless, while one later died of her wounds in the hospital, bringing the dead toll from the invasion to 17 in Unguwan Wakili on Saturday.
Of those killed, statement stated that an Igbo woman and her two children were among those killed, saying that compiling the profiles of the murdered victims is still ongoing as not all were natives of Unguwan Wakili.
The statement lamented that as usual with such invasions, no arrest has been made but instead, the Chairman of Zango Kataf LGAs, Mr Francis Zimbo, has slammed a 24-hour curfew on Unguwan Wakili and immediate environs.
