A Fulbe group has called for the investigation of the men of the Nigerian Army over the alleged killing of 11 youths in Tilde -Fulbe, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In a statement jointly signed by Abubakar Siddique Mohammed; Professor Massoud Omar; Professor Auwalu Yadudu; Professor Muhammad Mustapha Gwadabe; Professor Tanimu Abubakar; Dr Kabir S.Chafe; Mallam Babayola M. Tuongo; Professor Abdullahi Musa Ashafa; Malam Naseer Kura; Dr Salihu Zubairu Mustapha; Dr Aminu Musa; Malam Murtala Abubakar; Dr Aliyu U. Tilde and Kabiru Danladi, Ph.D, said the killing of the 11 Fulani youths must be investigated.
“We, the undersigned, in the exercise of our constitutional rights and in good conscience as concerned and dutiful Nigerian citizens, hereby add our collective voice to an appeal made for intervention and investigation into the murder of 11 Fulani youths by soldiers in Tilde Fulbe at Ladugga Grazing Reserve, Kachia Local Government.
“The appeal was made by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Governor of Kaduna State and the Northern Governors Forum.
“Our support for the appeal is based on the conviction that in the context of the current devastating insecurity and economic hardships, failure to investigate such grave allegations of willful murder of innocent citizens by agents of the state will only further deepen the distrust for state institutions, sever the bond between government and people and jeopardize the security-community relations,” the group said adding that they believed that the Federal Government should, at this trying moment, promptly investigate allegations of breaches and indiscretions on such fundamental human rights as security of life, personal liberty and property, in order to halt this negative trend and provide succour to the aggrieved parties.
“By doing this, the Federal Government would have discharged its constitutional responsibilities, therefore safeguarding its image and that of the military and other security agencies.
“Our appeal for intervention and remediation is informed by the disturbing details of what appears to be deliberate and unprovoked actions by some elements of the Nigerian military in the arbitrary killings of citizens from the affected rural communities as revealed by the findings of the preliminary investigations carried out by the Kaduna State chapter of MACBAN.
“The report of the investigation, which is contained in a press statement by the Association provides disturbing details of how the extra-judicial killings and looting of households by soldiers were carried out in the Tilde Fulbe community in Ladugga,” the group added.
Accusing the men of the Nigerian army for the act, the Fulbe group said they shot and killed one Nura Yusuf at close range at Crossing Katul Market in full glare of the public and hurled his corpse along with his motorcycle into a military van and drove away.
“The dead body of Nura was later found around Oduma village, where it was dumped. That was two (2) days after the soldiers demanded for the sum of four hundred thousand Naira (N400,000.00) from the brother of the deceased. The soldiers claimed that the money was to be used for the treatment of the victim. However, they did not respond when the brother demanded to hear the voice of Nura before giving them the money.
“According to the press statement, the soldiers who MACBAN describes as “trigger hungry” arrested four (4) more young men from the same village and later shot and killed all of them in cold blood and dumped their bodies in the bush around Antai village in Kachia LGA, along the road leading from Crossing to Maro of Kajuru LGA,” the group added.
