Fulani Herdsmen Attacks: ‘Buhari Must Create Southern Kaduna State’

From Julius B. Kezi, Kaduna
The Federal Government has been called upon to set up a southern in Kaduna Commission to tackle the socio-economic challenges caused by Fulani herdsmen attacks.
President, Kagoro Development Association (KDA), Dr. Benjamin Gugong made the appeal during a meeting on Wednesday, between a Senate committee on Southern Kaduna crises and representatives of communities of the area.
Dr. Gugong said setting up the commission was vital, in view of the magnitude of destruction, so as to rebuild the destroyed area and give people new beginning.
The KDA president also supported earlier calls for the creation of Southern Kaduna state as permanent solution, the establishment of a permanent military base at Gimi forest and at other flash points, with a joint civilian-military task force as done in Sambisa forest, to flush out the insurgents, who are foreign Fulani herdsmen who have been attacking, killed, maimed and displaced people of the area.
He also said the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should increase their relief services to cushion the untold hardship of displaced victims are being taken care of by their relatives.
Gugong stressed that measures have to be taken urgently, to rehabilitate victims, to enable them return to their homes and villages, as hunger is eminent later in the year.
Other stakeholders who spoke complained on the operation of fake soldiers, giving an example of Ungwar Misisi and Tudun Wada Kaninkon, where people in army uniforms deceived residents into a dialogue meeting only to gun them down, killing the village head and stakeholders that had gathered.
They also said Fulani herdsmen grazed their cattle openly on crops of natives, with AK 47 guns, which hitherto was not the practice.
The chairman of the senate committee on Southern Kaduna crises, Senator Kabiru Gaiya said they came on behalf of Federal Government to condole with the people over the unfortunate attacks, and to find out reasons behind the attacks and receive from people solutions to end the violence.
Senate Gaiya said President Muhammad Buhari was concerned about crises across the country and was committed to ensuring peace, security and development of the nation.
Soliciting the support and cooperation of the entire Nigerian citizens for the attainment of peace, unity and progress as patriotic contribution, Senator Kabiru Gaiya said no human society develops in an atmosphere of chaos, “therefore the need for people to eschew bitterness and embrace peace”.
He admonished the different communities living in the area to hold regular town-hall meetings at village, chiefdom and local government levels, to discuss amicably issues that tend to divide them.
The senate committee leader assured that the senate will give appropriate recommendations to government, based on solutions proffered by the communities, to end the violence.
Earlier, Senator Danjuma La’ah, the representative of Kaduna South Senatorial District, expressed gratitude to God and the senate for setting up a committee, following the motion he tabled, which he described “a prayer answered”.
Senator Danjuma La’ah said his people attacked have been exposed to untold hardship, due to the unwholesome activities of, especially foreign Fulani herdsmen.
La’ah said since 2011 post-election crisis, he has been an advocate of peaceful co-existence, devoid of political, religious, tribal or regional differences.
He prayed to God to use the senate and the Nigeria government to tackle the crisis, head long to bring it to an end for the attainment of peace and development.
In a remake, the chief of Kagoro, Mr Ufuwai Bonet advised the senate to investigate the claim by some people that southern Kaduna residents had killed cows belonging to Fulani from Cameroon, which accounts for the killings of people in the area.
The traditional ruler asked “how did the people of this area got to Cameroon and killed the cows or how did the Cameroon fulanis got to the Southern Kaduna un-noticed by security?
The Monarch shared the calls for the establishment of a permanent military base in the area, a joint civilian-military task force(JTF) to flush out foreign Fulani invaders, the provision of more relief to the displaced and the use of dialogue between warring communities to end violence.