Again, Kaduna violence erupts, state locked down

Over the years, Kaduna State, especially Southern Kaduna, has been in the news, more for the wrong reasons- communal and ethno-religious crises. In that particular minority part of the state, there have been numerous clashes between the natives and Hausa/Fulani for sundry reasons, from the real to the unimaginable.

Thus, for a place already polluted by mutual suspicion and distrust, anything, even a minor disagreement could fuel and escalate a crisis, as happened on last Friday, October 19 in Kasuwa Magani area of Kajuru Council, which soon spread to the metropolis, initially resulting to reprisal attacks that left several people dead and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

The swift spread of violence across the state, including the state capital by Sunday, October 21 necessitate a 24-hour curfew in most parts of the state, which was later relaxed in some parts, depending on the return of relative peace in those areas.

But by yesterday, following the killing of the kidnapped chief of one of the local communities, violence returned to the streets, forcing the state government to reinstate the 24-hour curfew. Residents and stakeholders bare their minds on the crisis and impact of the curfew on them and their daily activities.

Uneasy Calm As Kaduna Boils Again
Fear and tension continue to grip residents of the ancient crocodile city of Kaduna following the bloody crisis that erupted in Kasuwa Magani area of Kajuru Council of the state late last week, which soon spread to the metropolis, leaving several people dead and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

Although the state government on Thursday, October 25, relaxed the 24-hour curfew it imposed last Sunday, many people in the battle zone are still suspicious of one another due to fear of the unknown.

The situation is made worse with the crisis assuming religious dimension when Christians and Muslims among the inhabitants rose against each other, resulting in carnage and wanton destruction of properties in both Kasuwa Magani and the state capital.

The latest eruption, which snowballed into a wider conflict and violence in Kaduna on Sunday, reportedly started as a dispute between market traders in Kasuwa Magani a fortnight ago. Last February, similar crisis occurred which led to the death of 15 people and loss of properties worth millions of naira.

The state government immediately intervened by slamming a 24-hour curfew on the conflict-ridden state to save the situation from total breakdown of law and order, as hoodlums took to the streets with all manners of weapons and dangerous objects to hunt down perceived enemies on the roads, streets and highways.

Within a twinkle of an eye, hospitals in the metropolis, particularly Gamnan Awan General Hospital and Saint Gerald Catholic Hospital became flooded with dead bodies and injured people, to the point that at a stage, there were no more admission spaces in the two hospitals, while the mortuaries could no longer receive bodies; hence patients were referred to other hospitals.

Meanwhile, even as the curfew was still in force, violence remained unabated in some of the suburbs and the metropolis in the early hours of Monday, where scores were killed and several others injured, particularly in Narayi, where gunmen in military uniform allegedly invaded the area and opened fire on residents.

Kabala Doka, Sabon Tashan and Kabala West also recorded defiance of the curfew and attacks. In Narayi, the attackers, said to be in military uniform, allegedly invaded the community in the early morning hours and opened fire on some young men safeguarding the area, who mobilised themselves to prevent any intruder entering the community because of the curfew.

The source said: “We could not sleep last night because of the gunshots. Some young men were guarding the major road leading to Narayi to avoid any attacker from penetrating, but early this morning, some soldiers in white Toyota Hilux van came there and pretended to be on patrol.

“They opened fire and killed many of the youth. They left with some bodies, but returned to dump three of them this morning. Some youths allegedly mobilised themselves for reprisals, as the area remains tense, while the whole Narayi area is like a graveyard.”

Cases of killings were also reported in some parts of the state in the night, even with curfew in place.

Meanwhile, Governor Nasir El-Rufai and some members of his cabinet visited patients in some hospitals around the state on Monday to condole with those who sustained injuries during the fracas.

The governor has also vowed to enforce the various existing laws that impose costs on communities that permit violence in their midst to stem the persistent occurrence of crises in the state.

He disclosed that additional divisions of the Police would be established in the state, adding that no matter the number of boots on the ground, the ultimate guarantee of harmony is the willingness of people to live in peace, vowing, in an address during the emergency meeting of the Council of Chiefs on Tuesday, that the laws to be revisited would make community members to bear the cost of repair of damages arising from crises.

El-Rufai pointed that the various provisions of the Riots Damage Law of 1958, the Collective Punishment Law of 1915 and the Peace Preservation Law of 1917 would henceforth be enforced, saying: “These laws impose on communities that permit violence in their midst obligations to be charged and levied monies for the costs of repairing damage done during episodes of violence.”

He promised that his administration would provide details of the enforcement of these extant laws and warned traditional rulers that government would no longer accept excuses from them when crises erupt in their domains.

The governor, who traced the genesis of crises in the state, said the first ethno-religious occurred in Kasuwa Magani in 1980, adding: “Since then, it appears that a constituency has developed that believes that violence pays and is convinced that violence has no consequences for the perpetrators.

“It is time for a powerful coalition for peace to speak frankly and support actions against those who menace the right of our citizens to live in peace, wherever they choose.”

El-Rufai disclosed that 22 people lost their lives in the violence last Sunday, while 44 others sustained injuries, with several properties damaged within Kaduna metropolis.

While vowing to prosecute perpetrators of the crisis, he, However, lamented the slow pace of prosecution in the courts, explaining that the state was working to secure the approval of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to expand the Bench with 20 additional High Court Judges, and with the state Police Command to establish a division in Narayi and Sabon Tasha.

But the three senators representing the state in the National Assembly blamed the governor for the crisis.

Speaking on the floor of the senate in Abuja, Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) said the state has become a failed state as a result of the crises, which appears to have defied all security measures and claimed the lives of innocent people.

Hunkuyi demanded the release of the traditional ruler of Adara, who was whisked away to an unknown destination by security agents amidst the crisis, bemoaning that the real perpetrators of crises in the state have not been brought to justice since 1992, with government pretending not to know them.

“Some elements have been sponsoring carnage in the state without being brought to justice by the government. It is unfortunate that government would pretend to not to know those behind the heinous acts.”

On his part, Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) said Kaduna crises were due to religious and ethnic bigotry. “Over 20 years, Kaduna has been mired in ethnic and religious violence and I want to call on religious and community leaders to sensitise their subjects,” he added.

Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South) blamed El-Rufai for crisis in the state, as he had hints of the impending crisis before he travelled outside the country.

“The governor should be held responsible for the crisis in Kaduna. He wants to destabilise Kaduna South because he would not be voted in 2019. Is it compulsory for people to vote for you when they have right to vote who they want?

“The governor had hints about the crisis, yet he travelled abroad and when he came back, what did he do?” he queried.

The lawmaker reminded the senate of how a former governor was banned from public office, tasking the chamber on the need to contemplate sanctions against governors that could not maintain peace in their states.

Meanwhile, another lawmaker, Senator Philip Gyunka (PDP, Nasarawa), while expressing concern over insecurity in the country, alerted of mass importation of weapons illegally into the country ahead of the polls, with the importers shrouded in secrecy.

He blamed the federal government for not doing enough in curtailing importation of arms and El-Rufai for not doing enough to stop the crisis in the state, noting: “I learnt he travelled abroad against security report and when he hurriedly came, what did he do?”

However, a former governor of the state and Peoples Democratic (PDP) chieftain, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, called for restrain to avoid escalating the crisis, saying all hands must be on deck to ensure peace and order.

“The sad episode of Kasuwar Magani and the resultant spillover and skirmishes in Kaduna metropolis have given great cause for concern and this must be viewed as a setback in the quest for lasting peace in the state.

“After having come this far, some of our people still find it difficult to settle disputes without resorting to violence, with all the history at our disposal, which teaches us that much as human society cannot permanently live without one form of conflict or another, resort to arms has never been the solution,” he said.

Makarfi, therefore, appealed to the people to always eschew violence and embrace the time-tested process of constructive engagement through dialogue with one another, which has always proven to be a more effective and sustainable conflict resolution mechanism.

He commended the role played by the various security agencies and community and religious leaders in facilitating a return to normalcy, while condoling the government and people of the state and families who lost dear ones, even as he also commiserated with those injured and others who suffered losses on account of the unfortunate incidents.