Gunmen kill 69 in Katsina

                                            Gunmen

At least 69 people have been killed in simultenous  attacks  on four  villages in Katsina State.

Witnesses said the attackers, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, rode motorcycles into the  villages – Mararaban Maigoro, Goran Mota and Ungwan Rimi – in broad daylight on Wednesday and killed whoever they found.

A lawmaker  from the state, Abdullahi  Machika,  told both the Agence France Presse and the British Broadcasting Corporation that 47 of the victims were murdered and buried in Mararraban Maigoro.

Machika added that seven were buried in  Goran Mota, seven in Ungwan Rimi and eight  in Maigoro.

Machika    said,  “As I speak,  we are still searching for dead bodies in the bushes. The attackers were  not thieves but   killers. They did not steal anything; they came to  kill  people. The  people, who looked like Fulani herdsmen   killed 69 villagers and burnt scores of houses between Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This (Thursday) morning, we picked dead bodies in Faskari forest.  In  Mararaban Maigoro, we buried 47 people. In Goran Mota, we buried seven people and  in  Ungwan Rimi,  we buried seven people. And in Maigoro, we buried eight people.  Like I told you,  we are still searching for more bodies.

“For over one year, we  have been  talking;  people are saying it is about stealing and I am telling you it is pure killing . It is almost the same thing that started in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. There was  no response from the police authorities as they were busy providing for  President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit.”

But the  state’s Police Commissioner, Hurdi Mohammed,  who also confirmed the attacks, gave a lower casualty  toll of 30.

He also said  the violence was  not perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents but by   Fulani herdsmen, who had  been blamed for scores of deadly raids in the past.

The latest  incident  took place barely  24 hours  after  Fulani cattle rustlers  attacked the convoy of the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, in Tse-Akenyi.

Suswam  was on  a fact-finding mission following the continuous invasion of  many communities on the  Daudu-Gbajimba road by  herdsmen.

Fulani leaders have for years complained about the loss of grazing land which is crucial to their livelihood, with resentment between the herdsmen and their agrarian neighbours rising over the past decade.

Most of the Fulani-linked violence has been concentrated in the   North-Central, where rivalries between mostly Muslim herdsmen and mostly Christian farmers have helped fuel  violence.

• Jonathan gives military marching order

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday ordered the military high command to deploy troops in Rugu Forest  with a view to dislodging  the killers.

He said a situation where insurgents had turned the forest which was  initially meant for economic purposes, to their hideouts  was not  acceptable to his government.

Jonathan gave the order during  a dinner organised in his honour by the state government as part of activities outlined for his two-day official visit to the state.

He said men of the Nigerian Armed Forces must comb the forest thoroughly and rid it of insurgents.

According to him, the forest borders states like Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and the neighbouring Niger Republic.

The President said, “It is unfortunate that the forest meant for economic purposes has been turned to a hideout and haven for insurgents who are launching attacks on Katsina and other Northern states. This situation must not be allowed to continue. So men of the armed forces must comb the forest and dislodge the insurgents.”

Jonathan also directed the National Emergency Management Agency to ensure swift provision of relief materials for victims in the affected communities.

• IG deploys  DIG in Benue

Meanwhile, the   Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar,  has directed  the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations at the Force Headquarters, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, to personally coordinate    security  measures aimed at  ending   the  killings and destruction of property by cattle rustlers in Benue State.

Zuokumor will be assisted by the  Commissioner of Police in charge of the  Mobile Police, Mr. Hosea Karma, and  his counterpart in charge of counter-terrorism, Mr. Wakama.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank  Mba, made this known to journalists  at  a  press conference by the Joint Security Information Managers Committee on Security in Abuja on Thursday.

Mba   also said   the police authorities had also ensured the deployment of huge human and material resources to the troubled state.

He  added that  the police  were  expected to collaborate with the military and other security agencies in bringing  the state’s  security challenge under permanent control very soon.

According to him, the security operation in the state would involve aerial surveillance and massive intelligence gathering.

He said, “You are witnesses to the current state of challenges we have been recording in Benue.

“I want to reassure the nation, particularly the good people and government of Benue State, that the Federal Government is working through the instrumentality of the military, the police and other security agencies to bring that situation under permanent control.

“As I speak to you, the Police High Command has already deployed massive manpower and resources in Benue State.

“The operation, of course under the direct instruction of the IG, is being coordinated by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police  in charge of Operations, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, who is leading a team of other seasoned operational officers to Benue State.

“In his team, we also have the CP in charge of the Police Mobile Force, CP Hosea Karma, the CP in charge of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Wakama, and other very senior officers from the operational units.

“Special Forces from the Police Mobile Force,  the Counter-Terrorism Unit and the Special Protection Unit are already on the ground; and as I speak to you, the DIG is already on the  ground in Benue State.

“We will also be carrying out aerial patrols in Benue.This  is designed to actually help in boosting the confidence of the citizens and also providing massive intelligence for the ground troops.

“We would be working in collaboration with our counterparts from the military and other security agencies.”

The  Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade,  who heads the committee,  said   the military was determined to sustain the recorded victory against   Boko Haram  insurgents in the North-East.

He said that ongoing reorganisation  in the Army was designed to ensure that the insurgents were prevented from regrouping.

Fulani herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association had claimed  that they  lost 134 of their colleagues and 11,925 cows to clashes in the past three months.

They  had blamed Suswam for inciting  the people against them in   Benue, Taraba and Plateau states.

• Allegation  against me  baseless – Suswam

But   Suswam  described  the allegation  by the  herdsmen as baseless.

The governor said this while receiving   his Nasarawa State counterpart, Tanko Al-makura, who was in Makurdi, on a solidarity visit on Thursday.

The Director of Press to the governor, Dr. Cletus Akwaya,   told   one of our correspondents  in a telephone interview, that Suswam  would never do anything to undermine the state.

He said, “The allegation  (by Miyyeti Allah) is  baseless. The likes of Hussaini Bosso (the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association chairman),   fan the embers of violence with their comments.

“The governor, as the chief security officer, has been doing everything to make sure that there is peace in the state. These attacks are not limited to one local government area of the state, they have attacked several places.

“If the people here were killing their cows, it would have been all over the press which you know is not owned by the Benue State Government.

“The governor said  ‘such people should be investigated by security agencies because he (Bosso) seems to know much more.’ He mentioned that it was the governor, who was sponsoring the conflict.

“It means that he has information about the sponsorship; he should come forward with evidence and help the security agencies.”