Gunmen suspected to be Fulani militiamen, have launched fresh attacks on Southern Kaduna communities despite a 24-hour curfew imposed by the Kaduna State government.
This was as the umbrella body of Southern Kaduna people, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, on Saturday said 63 people had been killed in the past one week by the militiamen.
The latest killings were reportedly carried out around 7am on Saturday when some suspected Fulani militiamen attacked three communities in Jema’a and Kaura local government areas of Kaduna State and killed at least nine people.
Eleven people were said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack. Several houses were also reportedly razed during the attacks.
The three communities attacked were Zikpak and Ungwan Masara (Fantsuam Chiefdom), both in Jema’a Local Government Area as well as Maraban Kagoro, in Kaura Local Government Area.
According to the spokesperson for SOKAPU, Luka Binniyat, no fewer than 50 gunmen invaded Zikpak and started shooting repeatedly. After attacking Zikpak, the gunmen reportedly headed for Ungwan Masara and Maraban Kagoro, where they also carried out further attacks.
Watchers say some parties to the perennial ethnic disputes in Nigeria are known to circulate photos of old attacks to gain an advantage but some of the voices who spoke against the latest attacks on social media claimed first-hand knowledge of the attacks. A popular musician, Joel Amadi, said herdsmen shot his father dead in Zikpak.
The spokesperson for SOKAPU, Binniyat, said “They attacked Zipkak again by 7am (Saturday). They killed the wife of the Agwam Musa Didam of Fanstwam Chiefdom and burnt his house. The death toll yesterday (Friday) was nine.
“A 24-hour curfew was imposed by (Governor Nasir) el-Rufai yesterday (Friday) and this morning (Saturday), the militiamen returned by 7am during the curfew and the village is now under attack as we speak. Zipkak is on the outskirts of Kafanchan and is the headquarters of the Fanstwam people.”
