In spite of outrage over the mindless destruction of lives and property in some Adara communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the barbarism has continued. This has drawn the attention of not only Nigerians, but also the global community. There have been calls from various quarters for a quick intervention from government and the international community to end the violence. At some level, silence has been the word. We understand that sometimes these killings can be exasperating, however, leaders are what they are in times of grief, mourning and anger too. Therefore, we find it an abdication of leadership for the silence that we have witnessed in the last week or so.
Because of the dangerous bend the killings have taken, we invite the Federal Government and friends of Nigeria to see the need to rise up and save the besieged communities whose residents have fled their abodes in search of safety and now living in more than four Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camps. Interestingly these are communal disagreements that the local and state governments should have been keen to resolve. There is an absence of communalism in those parts and the government in the area has failed to initiate constructive ways to address fears. It is a tragedy of monumental proportions that within a space of one month, from Sunday February 10 to March 10, 2019, hundreds of lives have been lost in attacks carried out by persons suspected to come from herder communities.
Also hanging in the balance is the fate of no fewer than 10,000 IDPs now living in various locations in Kajuru and Chikun LGAs.
The destruction of lives and property in Adara communities is traceable to the Ungwar Barde attack by suspected herdsmen that took place on Sunday February 10, 2019 which culminated in the death of 10 persons, including a pregnant woman. Without reference to the February 10 attack, Governor Nasir el-Rufai was later to announce on the eve of the postponed polls, February 15, 2019, that about 66 Fulani were killed, a figure he later raised to 130. It is obvious that the February 10 attack served as the floodgate for reprisals, as Adara communities have come under heavy attack by gunmen that have so far killed over 135 Adara natives, including security personnel.
Properties have been lost too. No fewer than 40 houses have been destroyed in the raging carnage. As controversies continue to surround the crisis, life in the IDP camps is a painful experience for many who have been forced to flee their communities, with their hope of returning home now dimming on a daily basis. The efforts of good spirited individuals and organisations to provide succour are slowly diminishing and the absence of a coordinated government response to the humanitarian crisis is ridiculous. Apart from heavy economic losses on victims and apparent insecurity that threatens farming activities; the persistent crisis has created a cloud of uncertainty about a possible return to normalcy. There seem to exist in those communities militias for both herders and farmers. Each unleashes mayhem at will.
It is time the Federal Government wades in and rises above the pettiness of the Kaduna government. It is time to bring succour to these distressed Nigerians who have been surviving on the goodwill of relatives and benevolent persons and groups. To this end, we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to order the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA to intervene and bring relief materials to the displaced persons. Beyond food, many of the victims need medical attention and other forms of assistance to regain a semblance of stability, especially as the rainy season approaches. With most of the farm produce destroyed as a result of the crisis, there is the palpable threat of hunger and starvation ahead for the affected populations.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for adequate number of security personnel to be deployed to these areas so that fleeing populations can return to their towns and villages to resume their farming and other economic activities.
We support the position of the Catholic Bishop Conference which recently called on the Kaduna State governor to convoke a meeting of critical stakeholders to resolve the raging conflict and find lasting peace. Now is the time for both the state authorities and the Federal Government, as well as community and religious leaders, to work in unity in order to achieve sustainable, peaceful co-existence and end the bloodshed in not only Kajuru but in Kaduna and other parts of the country. Justice must be done anyway if we want lasting peace in Kaduna. Therefore, we call for an independent commission of enquiry, led by the National Human Rights Commission and comprising security agents, forensic experts and religious and community leaders, to probe the remote and immediate causes of this wanton waste of lives and property. In the end, let those who sponsor or participate in these killings pay the price.
