Punch Gunmen kill 69 in Katsina MARCH 14, 2014 BY JOHN ALECHENU, FIDELIS SORIWEI, OLALEKAN ADETAYO AND GODWIN ISENYO WITH AGENCY REPORTS Gunmen At least 69 people have been killed in simultenous attacks on four villages in Katsina State. Witnesses said the attackers, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, rode motorcycles into the villages – Mararaban Maigoro, Goran Mota and Ungwan Rimi – in broad daylight on Wednesday and killed whoever they found. A lawmaker from the state, Abdullahi Machika, told both the Agence France Presse and the British Broadcasting Corporation that 47 of the victims were murdered and buried in Mararraban Maigoro. Machika added that seven were buried in Goran Mota, seven in Ungwan Rimi and eight in Maigoro. Machika said, “As I speak, we are still searching for dead bodies in the bushes. The attackers were not thieves but killers. They did not steal anything; they came to kill people. The people, who looked like Fulani herdsmen killed 69 villagers and burnt scores of houses between Tuesday and Wednesday. “This (Thursday) morning, we picked dead bodies in Faskari forest. In Mararaban Maigoro, we buried 47 people. In Goran Mota, we buried seven people and in Ungwan Rimi, we buried seven people. And in Maigoro, we buried eight people. Like I told you, we are still searching for more bodies. “For over one year, we have been talking; people are saying it is about stealing and I am telling you it is pure killing . It is almost the same thing that started in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. There was no response from the police authorities as they were busy providing for President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit.” But the state’s Police Commissioner, Hurdi Mohammed, who also confirmed the attacks, gave a lower casualty toll of 30. He also said the violence was not perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents but by Fulani herdsmen, who had been blamed for scores of deadly raids in the past. The latest incident took place barely 24 hours after Fulani cattle rustlers attacked the convoy of the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, in Tse-Akenyi. Suswam was on a fact-finding mission following the continuous invasion of many communities on the Daudu-Gbajimba road by herdsmen. Fulani leaders have for years complained about the loss of grazing land which is crucial to their livelihood, with resentment between the herdsmen and their agrarian neighbours rising over the past decade. Most of the Fulani-linked violence has been concentrated in the North-Central, where rivalries between mostly Muslim herdsmen and mostly Christian farmers have helped fuel violence. • Jonathan gives military marching order President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday ordered the military high command to deploy troops in Rugu Forest with a view to dislodging the killers. He said a situation where insurgents had turned the forest which was initially meant for economic purposes, to their hideouts was not acceptable to his government. Jonathan gave the order during a dinner organised in his honour by the state government as part of activities outlined for his two-day official visit to the state. He said men of the Nigerian Armed Forces must comb the forest thoroughly and rid it of insurgents. According to him, the forest borders states like Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and the neighbouring Niger Republic. The President said, “It is unfortunate that the forest meant for economic purposes has been turned to a hideout and haven for insurgents who are launching attacks on Katsina and other Northern states. This situation must not be allowed to continue. So men of the armed forces must comb the forest and dislodge the insurgents.” Jonathan also directed the National Emergency Management Agency to ensure swift provision of relief materials for victims in the affected communities. • IG deploys DIG in Benue Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations at the Force Headquarters, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, to personally coordinate security measures aimed at ending the killings and destruction of property by cattle rustlers in Benue State. Zuokumor will be assisted by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Mobile Police, Mr. Hosea Karma, and his counterpart in charge of counter-terrorism, Mr. Wakama. The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, made this known to journalists at a press conference by the Joint Security Information Managers Committee on Security in Abuja on Thursday. Mba also said the police authorities had also ensured the deployment of huge human and material resources to the troubled state. He added that the police were expected to collaborate with the military and other security agencies in bringing the state’s security challenge under permanent control very soon. According to him, the security operation in the state would involve aerial surveillance and massive intelligence gathering. He said, “You are witnesses to the current state of challenges we have been recording in Benue. “I want to reassure the nation, particularly the good people and government of Benue State, that the Federal Government is working through the instrumentality of the military, the police and other security agencies to bring that situation under permanent control. “As I speak to you, the Police High Command has already deployed massive manpower and resources in Benue State. “The operation, of course under the direct instruction of the IG, is being coordinated by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, who is leading a team of other seasoned operational officers to Benue State. “In his team, we also have the CP in charge of the Police Mobile Force, CP Hosea Karma, the CP in charge of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Wakama, and other very senior officers from the operational units. “Special Forces from the Police Mobile Force, the Counter-Terrorism Unit and the Special Protection Unit are already on the ground; and as I speak to you, the DIG is already on the ground in Benue State. “We will also be carrying out aerial patrols in Benue.This is designed to actually help in boosting the confidence of the citizens and also providing massive intelligence for the ground troops. “We would be working in collaboration with our counterparts from the military and other security agencies.” The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, who heads the committee, said the military was determined to sustain the recorded victory against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East. He said that ongoing reorganisation in the Army was designed to ensure that the insurgents were prevented from regrouping. Fulani herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association had claimed that they lost 134 of their colleagues and 11,925 cows to clashes in the past three months. They had blamed Suswam for inciting the people against them in Benue, Taraba and Plateau states. • Allegation against me baseless – Suswam But Suswam described the allegation by the herdsmen as baseless. The governor said this while receiving his Nasarawa State counterpart, Tanko Al-makura, who was in Makurdi, on a solidarity visit on Thursday. The Director of Press to the governor, Dr. Cletus Akwaya, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview, that Suswam would never do anything to undermine the state. He said, “The allegation (by Miyyeti Allah) is baseless. The likes of Hussaini Bosso (the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association chairman), fan the embers of violence with their comments. “The governor, as the chief security officer, has been doing everything to make sure that there is peace in the state. These attacks are not limited to one local government area of the state, they have attacked several places. “If the people here were killing their cows, it would have been all over the press which you know is not owned by the Benue State Government. “The governor said ‘such people should be investigated by security agencies because he (Bosso) seems to know much more.’ He mentioned that it was the governor, who was sponsoring the conflict. “It means that he has information about the sponsorship; he should come forward with evidence and help the security agencies.”
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:27:11 +0000
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