At least 11 persons have been killed by Fulani herdsmen who invaded two villages near Godogodo town in the Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday and Tuesday.
The two villages were also razed by the invading herdsmen, villagers said.
Kaduna State Police Command Spokesman, Aliyu Usman confirmed the incident. He however said the villages were only partially burnt and that the police had restored law and order in the two communities.
In the first village, Gada Biyu, herdsmen allegedly killed nine people including six men and three women while two men were killed in Akwa’a in the second village attack.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai is saddened over the killings. In a statement through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan on Wednesday, the governor expressed sadness over the attacks, noting that killings under whatever guise must be condemned.
The statement read, “The Kaduna State Government condemns the murders that were perpetrated by criminal elements that attacked our communities in Gida Biyu, Akwa’a and Angwan Anjo in Jema’a Local Government Area. The Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, extends his condolence to the survivors and the families of the victims.”
Meanwhile the displaced villagers are bemoaning their homelessness, saying that they are now refugees in Godogodo, Gidan Waya, and other neighbouring towns.
A community leader, who does not want his name in print, said the suspected herdsmen audaciously came back after the police and security operatives had left to burn down the villages.
He said: “When they came to Gada Biyu on Monday morning and killed people, they only burnt part of the village, before the police arrived. At Akwa’a, they could not burn the place, because the police allowed the native youths to join them in chasing out the herdsmen who were over a hundred and well armed. In the same way, Anguwan Anjo was saved.
“The Police were in Anguwan Anjul, but left later in the night. Just as we suspected, the Fulani re-entered our villages and burnt them down. Fortunately, we had all left. There are about 1000 houses in Anguwan Anjo where I come from. Gada Biyu and Kwa’a are smaller villages but they have hundreds of houses there too. All now lie in ruins.
“This is the height of the rainy season, and we cannot return home. They have become much more violent since they were told that our lands are part of the Sanga Grazing Reserves.”
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