Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has received a Save Our Souls, SOS, from the women wing of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, calling on him to address the deteriorating security situation in the region.
SOKAPU, in a statement, recalled the mayhem inflicted on the area by bandit herdsmen on October 2 2021 and October 7 2023, leading to the death of 14 persons and the abduction of 31 others in addition to the looting of foodstuffs and animals and burning down of villages and rendering many people homeless.
SOKAPU National Women Coordinator, Mrs Jemutu Katarma, in a statement, said, “Southern Kaduna is made up of the eight Local Government Areas of Kaduna South Senatorial Zone, plus Lere LGA in Kaduna North Senatorial Zone including Kajuru and Chikun LGAs in Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone. Out of these 12 LGAs of Southern Kaduna only about three have not suffered violence and crimes from armed groups, especially bandits and armed herdsmen, as thousands have been killed, houses burnt and hundreds been kidnapped.
“Hundreds of our villages have been sacked and some taken over by bandits. Even the immediate past government of the state had been reporting these atrocities to the press every quarter of each year. Our people, especially women and children in their thousands are rendered as IDPs. It is usually women and children that suffer the most during such displacements.
“It is true that the past government did not show much compassion or interest in assisting us on these evils that have happened to our people. We did not get a good deal at all. Out of the 12 LGAs of Southern Kaduna, Kachia, Kajuru and Chikun are, in our belief, the worst that suffer in the hands of kidnappers. And women and children are their main targets.
“Of particular note, we want to bring to the attention of Governor Uba Sani about a terrible development that happened on 2nd October, 2021 in Kachuwe, close to Sarkin Pawa in Niger State. After their villages suffered several invasions from bandits in Chikun, they decided to move to Kachuwe which they thought was safer to start life all over again by farming.
“After committing the crime, they looted the village of foodstuffs and animals.
“They then burnt down the village. They spared the lives of the old women and sick old men. Then they took away the following females and boys. Grace Ali (25 years), Kauna Ali. (22 years). Murna Ali (18 years), Tera Ali (three years), Rahila Shagari (18 years), Sunday Zakaria (17 years), Leonard Zakaria (10 years), Lucy Zakaria (11years), Blessing Zakaria (13 years), Charles Haruna (10 years), Tina Amos (27 years), Desire Amos (7 years), Success Amos (three years) and Yemi Benjamin (27years).”
