Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has come under fire for saying that 66 persons were killed by gunmen in the Kajuru Local Government Area of th
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has come under fire for saying that 66 persons were killed by gunmen in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the state. Both the Kaduna State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria as well as the National Emergency Management Agency, have dismissed this claim.
The CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Joseph Hayab, who stated this in a statement, insisted that the governor deliberately gave out the wrong information to deceive Nigerians and the international community adding that the false alarm as contained in a statement by the governor on Friday evening, was aimed at stirring up violence in the state.
“We are aware that the incident happened in the late hours of Sunday 10 February to February 12, 2019, at about 1am at Gindin Gada in the Maro Ward of Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State where unidentified hoodlums went into the village and killed about 11 people in their sleep.
“The incident led to reprisals. Two of the suspects were said to have been apprehended and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in the area. It was in the afternoon of the said date of the attack (as contained in the press statement) that the District Head of Kufana, Mr Titus Dauda, and four of his local chiefs were released after their invitation by the Department of State Services.”
Also, the Zonal Coordinator, North-West office of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ishaya Chonoko, said that there were no fresh killings in Kajuru LGA on Friday as claimed by the governor.
Chonoko said, “It is not true that 66 people were killed in Kaduna State. I am in Kaduna now and I can confirm to you that I am not aware of any 66 people that were killed in Kajuru Local Government Area by any unknown gunmen.
“There was an attack last week (Sunday) where 11 people were said to have been killed. It was the usual tribal clash between the Fulani and the indigenes. Anytime there is a clash between two tribes in Kaduna, there is usually reprisal. We made necessary contacts only to discover that it was merely a rumour to instigate violence. Please disregard it. It is not true at all.”
Meanwhile Senator Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district whose constituency covered the affected local government, also wondered why the incident that happened on Sunday would be made an issue on the eve of the general elections.
“He said, “What the people of the area told me was that the issue happened since Sunday and the security agencies waded in and resolved it immediately. There was no tension that can threaten peace in the area.
