Metro

Kaduna Massacre Survivors Narrate Ordeal

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2022

Editor

Victims of the attack on Adara communities in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have recounted their experience after some of them were relocated to an Internally Displaced Persons camp and other safe communities.

Recall the attack on three communities in Kajuru killed 35 natives and many others sustained injuries.

However, after the attack, accusations and counter-accusations arose with natives alleging that the terrorists were aided by their criminal counterparts using a helicopter. The state government has since dismissed the claim, saying the helicopter was used by the Nigerian Air Force to dispel the bandits.

Survivors of the attack, in an interview with DAILY POST, when they came for a Save-Our-Soul (SOS) visit to the President of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Hon. Asake at the National Secretariat, expressed shock over the state government’s denial of the terrorists using a helicopter.

The villagers, who were led by Rev. Denis Sani, of 1st ECWA Church, Maikori during a visit to SOKAPU president, said they came to SOKAPU to seek assistance for their starving communities and to brief the President of SOKAPU on the tragedy that befell their communities.

“It was around 12 noon while we were in church that we started getting information that armed Fulani herdsmen were attacking Dangoma and some nearby villages,” said Rev. Sani before television cameras.

“We hastily rounded up our prayers and came out. We then heard that they were in large numbers and that they were heading towards Maikori.

“We then called out for reinforcement and all the youths came out and we laid ambush waiting for them. We evacuated our women, children, and old ones into hiding. In no time we saw them.

“They were in large numbers on scores of motorcycles each carrying three turban herdsmen who all had AK-47 rifles.”

According to Rev Sani, when the herdsman were getting close to them, they fired their den guns at the invaders.

“Upon hearing our gunshots. The leaders of the armed herdsmen raised his left hand and came to an abrupt halt. The rest also stopped,” he said.

He said that they dismounted from the bikes and started responding but since they were already under cover they had an upper hand and that the killer herdsmen started retreating.

“From nowhere we saw a helicopter coming over towards Maikori, and we were happy that help had come,” he said.

He said that they were shocked to discover that the helicopter, which he said was white painted, started firing in their direction, even when the motorcycles of the assailants, their positions and mode of dressing, marked them out clearly.

“I saw my people running for dear lives and some were falling. I also ran. It was not possible to face the armed Fulani and the bullets from the helicopter, so we ran for our lives,” he said.

He narrated further that upon escaping, the herdsmen entered Maikori and started burning homes.

“As they were burning houses, the helicopter was hovering over the village to defend them from our returning.

“They took three good hours burning every structure in Maikori, except three or four houses that do not have any valuables.

“My church, 1st ECWA Church Maikori, was burnt to ashes. My house and everything I ever worked for went with the flames. I only came out with what I am now wearing.

“As of now, I cannot tell you exactly how many people were killed from that attack, because we are still picking corpses in the bushes. But 32 persons have been killed and buried. Other villages that were attacked earlier that day by the same killers are Sabon Gida, Unguwan Sarki and Dogon Noma,” he said.

According to him, the ECWA church in Dogon Noma was also burnt with some other houses.

“The Helicopter did not hide its intention that it came to kill us and to help the armed Fulani to achieve what they wanted to do.

“We are therefore here to beg for any form of assistance, especially food and clothing. And we want you to help us inform the world what has happened to us,” he said as he produced a bullet he claimed came from the gunshot from the helicopter.

Johna Chris, the 52-year-old youth leader of the Maikori village, was also on the team that visited the SOKAPU president. He also confirmed what Rev Sani said.

“When we started shooting at the bandits with our den guns, they seemed to be taken by surprise that there was some form of resistance. Even when they were firing back at us, we noticed that they were going backward. We were ready to defend our village with the last drop of our blood and we had the upper hand against those devils.

“Then this white painted helicopter came from the sky. Instead of attacking the criminals, it is us that it started shooting at.

“The bullets were coming from the bottom of the helicopter straight at us. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but it circled back, saw the position of the enemy, left them alone and started raining bullets at us and into our village. When I saw people running and falling, I also ran into the bush,” he said.

The President of Adara Development Association (ADA), Mr Dio Maisamari, who is also the 1st Vice President of SOKAPU said that it was clear that both the Federal Government and Kaduna State Government had abandoned Adara and other besieged Southern Kaduna communities to their fate.

Rifkatu James, a 20-year-old student of Government Day Secondary School, Jabi, Abuja, was at home in Maikori village for a brief visit when she was caught in the attack.

She narrated her experience:

“We finished church service in a hurry because people were saying that Fulani were on their way to come and attack us in Maikori.

“We took the children, our mothers, and old people into the bush to go and hide. Our men started to shoot at the Fulani who were coming on hundreds of motorcycles to attack us. And they also started shooting our people,” she said.

She added: “I think we were winning because the Fulani were trying to run away. Then I saw a helicopter coming from behind us. It then started shooting our men. I saw them running, some were falling down. I also ran very fast into the bush with others. The Fulani chased us and came into Maikori.”

DAILY POST

Metro

Viral Video: “Please Stop Crying,” Soldiers In Tears After Losing Colleagues To Terrorists

Published

5 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

In a now-viral video posted on X on Tuesday, soldiers of the Nigerian army were seen crying, seemingly after losing some of their colleagues to terrorist attacks.

The video posted by #X-Daily has become viral after X users have sympathised with the soldiers.

Although it is unsure of when the video was made or the actual cause of why the soldiers were crying, Nigeria has been faced with terrorist attacks for over two decades.

The post read, “Nigerian Soldiers in tears after losing their colleagues in Terrorist attack in Northern Nigeria.”

As seen in the video, soldiers are seen weeping while someone, presumably the one holding the camera, is comforting the soldiers and is heard telling them to stop crying.

“Stop crying please, stop crying,” the voice said.

“I tell you guys since morning, my mind no dey here, I no tell you?” he questioned in pidgin English.

Reacting, #Game_Boss360 wrote, “Those soldiers are really suffering out there.”

Another user, #calebuncovered, said, “This is why whenever I see civilians bashing soldiers on social media, it pains me deeply. As someone who grew up in the barracks, you have no idea what these guys do to protect this country. You have no idea how far they go to protect this country. They’re literally living a life of uncertainty because death can come anytime, and they would leave their family behind. Yet, some of you still come here and spew rubbish about soldiers.”

Meanwhile, #chrisndarl said, “This video hurts in so many ways ….so many ways man.”

A 2024 PUNCH report noted that Nigeria is grossly insecure. Under Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023), 63,111 Nigerians died in violence, SBM Intelligence stated.

“Nigeria was ranked the eighth most terrorised country in the world by the 2023 Global Terrorism Index.

“This has contributed to the shortfall in food production and the upswing in food inflation as Nigeria’s food basket regions are plagued with gnawing terrorism and insecurity,” the report stated.

Metro

Traditional Ruler, Two Others Killed In Bloody Benue Land Dispute

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A protracted land dispute between the people of Okete in Ohimini Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state and the neighbouring community of Otukpo-Nobi in Otukpo LGA over the ownership of

Amla-Icho community land has claimed the lives of a traditional ruler and two others in the feuding communities.

It was gathered that the age long dispute was triggered last week when the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Alfred Omakwu allegedly sent a bulldozer to the disputed land to enable him commence work on the creation of a layout in the area.

The presence of the earth moving equipment angered the people of Okete who moved to stop the destruction of the cultivated land.

In his account on the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA said “the problem is that the Okete people lost it. It is a dispute between Amla in Otukpo and Okete in Ohimini LGA and a total of three people lost their lives in the crisis.

“What happened was that they (the Okete people) used to go and farm in Amla land but sometimes last year when we wanted to develop a layout there, the Okete people went to report to the Och’Idoma that their farm produce were there and the Och’Idoma directed that no layout should be done until they harvest their products.

“February this year, they harvested their produce and the Och’Idoma called them and informed them that by March this year, Otukpo would go ahead with their layout and that they should not farm there again.

“But when the bulldozers returned they said they had farmed there already and reported the matter to their Second Class Chief as well as their LGA Chairman who called me and I told them that the Och’Idoma asked them not to farm there again because of the layouts.

“So when the bulldozer went there on Friday, they came with their lawyer who called me and I told him everything and said if they want to go to court, it was their right.

“They demanded that the bulldozer stopped work but their lawyer advised that they should wait for him to get an injunction from the court but they said they could not wait.

“They then went to the First class chief of Otukpo/Ohimini who called Och’Idoma and the Och’Idoma said they should not stop the people doing the layout because he asked them not to farm their again.

“At that point they went there and opened fire on the people; they killed one and shot two people and burnt all their motorbikes about 10 of them.

“Then Otukpo retaliated the next day; they also burnt some houses and killed one person and killed another person in Amla making two.

“But we have maintained calm. The Police Commissioner summoned all of us for a peace meeting so we are restoring peace now among both parties. We have agreed that all the culprits will be arrested and brought to book.”

Countering his Otukpo counterpart, the Ohimini LG Chairman, Samson Okoh who also acknowledged that the dispute was over land said “there is a place called Amla, it’s close to Okete. The Otukpo Chairman took the bulldozers to the place where the Okete people used to farm for years and according to him he wanted to do a layout. So he went and destroyed their farm crops.

“When the Okete people demanded an explanation, the Amla people said the land does not belong to the Okete people but to the Amla people.

“According to what I was told, when the argument ensued somehow one of them from Otukpo pulled the trigger and shot but the bullet mistakenly hit a fellow Otukpo person.

“Then on Saturday night the Amla people went and reinforced and barricaded the Okete people, burnt houses, beat up ans killed one boy. And on Sunday around 10am when I went to take the boy they killed to the mortuary, the Alma people went to the place again and burnt 17 houses, burnt motorcycles, slaughtered a Clan Head Chief Sunday Okpe, and shot five other persons who we took to the Teaching Hospital in Otukpo for treatment.”

The Chairman who informed that the community had been deserted said the parties had been summoned by the Police Commissioner over the matter and that efforts were on to apprehend the masterminds of the crisis.

On whether the Paramount ruler of Idoma land, Och’Idoma Agaba-Idu John Odogbo asked his people not to farm on the said land again, the Chairman said, “I am not aware of that but the Otukpo Chairman claimed so. I was not told by the Och’Idoma to tell the people not to farm there.

“Moreover, the Och’Idoma cannot tell the people to stop farming where they have been farming for several years without compensation or settlement and you just take the bulldozer to destroy their crops on the hectares of land they eke a living from.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene who confirmed the development said the command received the report of one death though she was awaiting full details of the incident.

Metro

Troops Eliminate Shekau’s Top Ally, Tahir Baga In Sambisa Forest Troops

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

The troops of Theatre Command, North East, ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ have successfully killed a top commander of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, otherwise known as Boko Haram, TAHIR BAGA.

This great feet was achieved following continuation of troops’ major offensive at terrorists enclaves in Sambisa Forest.

Sources revealed that Tahir was neutralized on May 13, 2024 when the troops unleashing the major operation codenamed: Operation Desert Sanity III, moved down terrorists’ enclaves of Shababul Umma, Garin Panel Beater and Lagara Anguwan Gwaigwai right at the heart of the forest.

Intelligence sources and Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region also confirmed the incident to our Correspondent on Tuesday.

It was gathered that, in the course of the offensive, contact was made with the terrorists which led to the defeat of the terrorist top commander as well as some of his lieutenant while several others escaped with gunshots wounds.

“Tahir Baga, was a close Ally to Abubakar Shekau. He was among the first sets who founded the Boko Haram movement in Maiduguri before moving into Sambisa Forest with likes of Mamman Nur, Khalid Albarnawi, Abubakar Shekau, Kaka Ali, Mustapha Chad, Abu Maryam and Abu Krimima.

“Tahir Baga was a revered Imam who was respected among the Sect group. He had on several basis truncated efforts of many fighters and their families to surrender and has also pushed many under aged girls to go on suicide bombing after convincing that they will be granted paradise as everlasting reward.” The source said.

The killing of Tahir Baga, is a major blow to the Boko Haram terrorists groups.

Another source said that “the neutralizing and sacking of terrorist communities, also led to the rescue of 14 persons comprising 4 women and 10 children from the terrorists captivity.

“The troops the firepower of the rampaging troops, fled in different directions, abandoning their weapons and other equipment.

“Among such weapons were a heap of bomb-making materials; 1 RPG 7 tube; Pkm 1X Rpg 7 tube, 1X ak47 rifle, 1 RPG Bomb, 1X RPG 7 Charger quantities of 97X 7.62MM Nato, quantities of 99X7.62 MMX 51MM, quantities 554X7.62 MM X 54 MM, 5, MCs, 2 bicycles, 3 mobile phones 11 magazines, 3 hand grenades 2 bandolier, one starlink WiFi system, 1 lithium inverter batteries of 100 AH, 1 solar inverter of 200 AH, 1 hand held patrol radio among others items were found in the terrorists enclaves.”