Lawmaker Challenges FG Over Kaduna Killings

Shehu Garba Sarkin-Noma, a House of Representatives member representing Jema’a/Sanga federal constituency on Saturday, while lamenting the mass killings in Sanga communities, Kaduna State, challenged the Federal Government to quickly intervene and stop more massacre.  

"The killings in Sanga were very massive. From what we gathered after visiting some of the communities, close to 200 people have so far been killed in the 15 villages that were hit by the unknown gunmen. Villages that were worst hit include Kobin, where more than 38 people were killed. Other villages like Ambem, Kabamu-Karsh and many others have recorded more than 25 deaths" he said.  

NAN reports that the lawmaker gave the charge in a statement after his three days visit to the scenes of the attacks, and other places where the internally displaced persons were being camped.  He listed the most affected villages to include Dogon-Daji, Ungwan Pah, Nandu, Gwantu, Ankpong, among others.

Sarkin-Noma, who distributed food and many other assorted relief materials to the internally displaced persons during his visit revealed that there were more than 30,000 victims currently living in schools, churches, Nunku, Akwanga, police stations and even under trees, described the attack scenes as “very gory, grim and scary.’’

Related: Gunmen Kill 3 Policemen, 1 Civilian In Fresh Kaduna Attack

According to him, the devastating attacks were carried out against most vulnerable members of the society which comprised innocent rural dwellers, women, children and the aged, adding that livestock, grains and other properties were either destroyed or looted.

The lawmaker who further revealed that farms and houses were also burnt during the attack said: "As in other places, the modus operandi of the attackers was the same. They invaded the communities in the deep of the night in large numbers. They killed and maimed everything on sight. Members of the various communities, who mistook the assailants as security personnel deployed to protect them, were sometimes taken unawares".

He went ahead to question why peaceful communities should be targeted by gunmen, and noted that the situation was worse than ever imagined. While insisting that the federal government needed to show urgent concern despite its deployment of soldiers to restore order in the area, he said the soldiers were only stationed at the check points along the major roads as well as inside Gwantu town, which is the local government headquarters.

"We want the soldiers to go deeper into the rural settlements because that is where the attacks are at their fiercest. We also want them to go beyond ending the violence and step up efforts to arrest the attackers that are lurking in the bushes. The soldiers should smoke out such attackers and bring them to justice," he said.   

The lawmaker while pointing out that the period was the peak of the farming season said: "It is the peak of the farming season, but farmers have fled the farms. The consequences are very explicit. Famine is imminent if the situation is not checked".

Sarkin-Noma reiterated that the sacked communities were members of the Nigerian society and deserved every protection by the state, and challenged government at all levels to show more concern to their plight.  

"If President Goodluck Jonathan aborted a foreign trip to Equatorial Guinea because of the Abuja blast that killed 21 persons, the Sanga killings deserve even more urgent response. The federal government should show a deeper interest in these killings that are gradually becoming a routine. Such impunity should never be allowed to continue in our society," he noted.

Related: Kaduna: End Attack On Our Villages, Lawmakers Urges FG

The lawmaker commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for mobilising materials to help the internally displaced persons. He, however, observed that the relief materials were inadequate in view of the massive damage.

"We wish to call on donor agencies to come to the aid of the victims who are clearly in dire need of basic essentials. Truly, such help has become particularly crucial in areas of food, shelter and cloths, as well as other basic needs because a massive humanitarian crisis is already looming," he said.    

Sarkin-Noma urged Nigerians to join hands to tackle the insurgents that is bedeviling parts of the country, and declared that it would be "very criminal" for anyone to feel that it is not his or her concern, simply because his or her community is not yet attacked.   

"The destruction by these so-called unknown gunmen is very devastating. We must rise to the challenge. It would be very criminal for anyone to think that the carnage in Sanga is not his or her business, simply because his or her immediate community is not affected. What goes round must surely come round," he noted.  

It would be recalled that on Tuesday June 24, 2014, about 38 people, mostly women and children were killed during a raid by unidentified gunmen on villages in Kaduna State. It was gathered that the bloodbath started in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State during the early hours of the day.

Meanwhile, before Sarkin-Noma's visit to the scene of attacks, other house of reps members had also condemned the ugly incidents and called for lasting solution to curb such attacks from repeating itself.   

Source: Legit.ng