Traumatic Experience of Killings In Barkin Ladi Village jos
Incessant attacks and onslaughts unleashed on hapless ranchers by
rampaging Fulani cattle rearers have come to appalling percentages and
must be stopped forthwith.
According to taimiyu, no less than 4000 persons from the four influenced
groups have become refugees and were camped in two locations, Fadan
Atakar and Zangan.The pattern of attacks has habitually been the same in
all the villages and any state the Fulani’s rears cattle’s. and the
ranches where the Fulani beef cattle men have trampled on their victims
who are forced hosts to redundant ‘visitors’. beef cattle men usually
drive their herds to green pastures all over the homeland, invading
plantations on farmlands. owner ranchers watch in utter horror and
helplessness as their plantings, vegetables, fruits and other products
are trampled upon and decimated by usually dangerously equipped
herdsmen. The story has been the same in Yewaland in Ogun state, in
Lagos state, in Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Kogi, Kwara, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue,
Niger, Edo, Delta, Osun, and in virtually all other southern states of
the homeland. It has been sound of anguish and mayhem.
Since early 90s the northern part of Nigeria has known no peace there
has been violence from one state to the other, and cases of Muslim
killing Christians, Fulani killing beroms and vice versa on reprisal
killing, many life’s has been lost due to the reckless killings of
innocent and helpless citizens, the government today focuses all their
attention on BOKO HARAM forgetting that the Fulani silent killings of
innocent citizens too is becoming alarming, although there is boko haram
but the Fulani’s also has to be feared because they kill silently over
nothing.
If we are to draw a statistics the Fulani killings is higher , for
instance since late 90s the Fulani’s has been slaughtering innocent
families, burning down house and displacing villagers of normal life.
Everyday we read in papers, internet how Fulani terrorize people because
of their cows, they value cows than human life
. Let take a look at JOS, a state that used to be a home to Nigerians and foreigners because of the serene atmosphere.
But today its called the killing zone. There are killings in different
villages in jos mostly in Barkin ladi and Riyom local government where
many families has been wiped out ,houses burned down farmland and live
stock destroyed. Government up till date has not jailed or apprehended
anybody over these killings.
July 7th 2012 will forever remain in the mind of everybody in barkin
ladi local government because they lost 2 notable and respected children
to this same Fulani attack.
A witness and survivor Mr. nuhu dayang recall the Fulani attack of 7th
July 2012 in kai village ,KAI is among the 9 villages that the Fulani
herdsmen’s raided to ashes that very day killing women , children and
burning down houses.
He said the whole thing was a piled up anger by the Fulani cattle
rearer, because the average Fulani man believes he is been denied of his
right and chased out of their land, so they pass on this believes to
their children and grandchildren, so in a nutshell the Fulani man
believes berom land belongs to them and that the present government is
cheating them. Secondly the beroms are mainly Christians while they are
Muslims so there is big difference in custom and beliefs.
KAI YOUTH CAME OUT IN A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION
There has been dispute between KAI residents and this Fulani herdsmen
over cows destroying their farm crops sometimes when they are close to
harvesting so this has been going on that sometimes the Fulani’s says
they are being intimidated when confronted and that they have freedom of
movement, so whenever anyone complains to the Fulani’s about their cows
destroying their farm crops they take it personal because they believe
they are being intimidated and with this they tend to attack anybody or
group of people or village who question them over the activities of
their cows because they value cows more than human life.
The whole problem started on the 5th of july when kai youth protested
that the Fulani nomads should pay compensation or render apology to
those whose crop were destroyed by their cows, the peaceful
demonstration was lead by the village youth P.R.O (Mr. segun victor who
up till this moment no where to be found, and the village head spokesman
(Paul dofang , may his soul rest in peace he was a great man , Mrs.
dacholom zipora deceased, Mr. okpako,and other notable and vibrant
youth of the village, but the Fulani’s felt they were been intimidated
because they don’t have the backings of the government , it took the
grace of God and the well coordinated leaders that calm the situation
because they the nomad told them directly that they have nothing to pay
nor any apology to render but the villagers still went home unknowing to
them that the nomads had plans for them , though the same rally were
done in different berom communities too , two days later being the 7th ,
the Fulani attacked early hour of the morning when some of the
villagers where still asleep and some of these Fulani’s were dressed in
military uniform and they divided themselves into groups, they were
with guns , bow and arrow , woods and machetes and they were singing
that they have come to pay for the crops at the same time shouting Allah
ak bar , during the attack the village recorded great loss, the village
head was burnt in his house , the spoke man was found dead in his
backyard with his children and wife , Mrs. dacholom body was recovered
in the bush , while her children and husband no where to be found ,other
people killed and some kidnapped, Mr. okpako and Mr. segun victor
managed to escape death that very day with their families but their
house were burnt to ashes. Days later Mr. segun victor and Mr. okpako
were attacked in two different location that lead to the death of Mr.
segun victors pregnant wife (Anita) and Mr. okpakos 2 children.still the
where about of these men and other people because they all ran dearly
for their life. Presently there is nobody in the village that can stand
for the people or youth because they don’t want to end up the way the
others did that ended up, we Nigerians value our lives and respect
death, so sometimes we are scared to stand up for our right. According
to a text i read, i quote '' he said the fear of Fulani is the beginning
of living’’, they have made themselves God over the fearful indigenes
and innocent ones...
ATTACK AND KILLING OF MULTITUDE IN KAI VILLAGE
The killings continues during the burial of those that were burntdr
alive in a pastors house in Matse village, the same Fulani herdsmen
came and open fire on them and this lead to the death of two law makers
in the state.
Since then series of killings has been going on, in august another family was wiped out all because they stood their ground.
This Fulani herdsmen are making the beroms or anybody to understand that
they value their cows more than human life, up till date there is
different killings in different villages of barkin ladi and riyom local
government and nothing has been done to bring this Fulani’s to book
because no one knows when they will attack or their mode of operation
and its not the same people since they are nomads and they are not
static so you cant arrest them,
but they have one thing in common ''beliefs'' which has been passed on
to them from birth. They are everywhere and are interconnected, take
for instance the Imo crisis (Ohaji/Egbema local government area and
Irete, Owerri West local council) perpetuated by the Fulani, and in Osun
state, as well as Ibafo Fulani’s in Lagos state, Oleh in isoko south
local government area of delta state, all because of what?, ( cows and
grazing of farmland). According to Mr. nuhu, The Fulani’s has taken
their killing to a whole new level and they get away with it, there was a
high expectation that culprit will be brought to book after the killing
of 2 law makers Senator Gyang Dantong and honorable Gyang Fulani. There
was curfew for 2weeks in the area after which it died down and since
then there has been different killings in riyom barkin ladi, bukuru
name it ,up till this moment the killings is still goings on in
different villages and it look as if they have spy’s that gives them
information and monitor people they want to attack. For instance the
case of the man who was killed in shonog village before Christmas last
year, nothing was done and no Fulani was brought to book or arrested,
THE SPECIAL TASK FORCE (STF) always appear after the occurrence of the
incidence.
This same village was attacked in January, the media said the
casualty were 30, but the casualty where more than that, up till now
killing is still going on in different villages of barkin ladi and riyom
leaving women and children mostly affected and no significant effort
has been made to catch or stop this Fulani herdsmen, although many have
been called for peace treaty or boundary review but little has been
done. Recently the southern kaduna indigenes progressive forum took
their governor to international crime court. In other to stem the tide
of this indescent act, the government should pay more attention to this
Fulani killings as they are as deadly as boko haram .
It has become imperative for the government to intensify on security
policies since nowhere is safe, because Fulani herdsmen are everywhere
in NIGERIA perpetrating terror unless the government put an end to this
silent killings of the Fulani nomads the Fulani’s are not willing to
stop.
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