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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The death toll of Saturday night’s attack on Ungwan Wakili community in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State has risen to 17 at the time of this report.
Daily Sun gathered that security operatives yesterday, a day after the incident, counted 15 dead bodies, aside the two people who died in the hospital after sustaining gunshot injuries. However, as of the time of this report, arrangements were being made for a mass burial of those killed during the attack.
What escalated the problem, according to sources, was the alleged killing of a Fulani herder four days ago, in Ungwan Juju, apparently in retaliation for the killing of one of the locals last month. This, according to security sources on ground, was aside pockets of complaints of cow poisoning and destruction of farm produce by the locals and Fulani herders, which they have been resolving occasionally in the community.
As of yesterday morning, the military were said to have brought the situation under control, as they were able to repel the attackers and trail them to their hideouts to bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, the Zango Kataf Local Government Chairman, Mr. Francis Sani Zimbo, has condemned the attack, describing it as, “barbaric but investigations are on to unravel the perpetrators and bring them to book.” Zimbo, however, queried why all the mobile police (Mopol) checkpoints within the affected communities were withdrawn before the attack on the fateful day.
The locals, while expressing their displeasure in protests, regretted that none of the gunmen was killed by the security operatives despite their presence within the community.
While the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and Kaduna State Police Command were yet to make an official statement regarding the killing at the time of this report, Special Assistant (Media) to the Executive Chairman of the Council, Yabo Chris Ephraim, in a statement, said his principal has declared curfew in the affected area. He said the curfew became necessary to allow security agents to put the situation under control.
“A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Ungwan Juju, Mabuhu, Ungwan Wakili, and Zangon Urban with immediate effect. This is to allow men of the Nigerian Army to restore peace on that axis,” the statement read.
Reacting to the incident, the police in Kaduna said the perpetrators of the fresh Zango Kataf, Southern Kaduna killings would be severely dealt with in accordance with the law.The police added that, “the security forces are on top of the situation.”
In a telephone conversation with journalists, spokesman of the Kaduna Police Command, Muhammad Jalige, said it was true the gunmen attacked the Southern Kaduna Community in the early hours of yesterday.
He said: “From the briefing I received from the Area Commander, trouble started a couple of days ago, when a boy rearing cattle was murdered. We have been trying to manage the situation while investigating the sad occurrence before trouble broke out.
“A joint security team will be combing the bushes in the area Sunday afternoon, to search for bodies, if there is any, as they will also apprehend the suspects responsible for the killings. We are on top of the situation and all the hoodlums responsible would be rounded up.
“But for the timely intervention of joint security personnel coordinated by the area commander, the terrorists would have had a field day.
Repelling the hoodlums was a tedious task for our security agencies, but they were successful as the terrorists scampered away from the scene.”
The police said they would ensure that their operation was successful.
