Armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen again attacked Zangang village of Atakar Chiefdom in Kaura Local Government area of Kaduna State on Tuesday, killing 11 people.
Many more sustained various degrees of injuries, while others are missing, in the onslaught which started on Saturday and became quite serious by Tuesday.
Narrating the ordeal to newsmen, District Head of Zangang, Yohanna Daniel, whose house was also burnt to ashes and who was thought to have died in the attack, said he escaped death by the whiskers.
According to him, the invaders started their attack on Saturday through Monday and Tuesday, adding that Tuesday’s attack was more deadly, as the gunmen who, he alleged, were Fulani herdsmen, trooped to the village in large numbers, shouting “Allah akbar (Allah is great)” and shooting sporadically at residents.
He recalled that the invaders were dressed in black and red, and wielded AK 47 rifles.
“They were pursuing people like chickens,” he said.
Narrating further, he said, “On Saturday, the Fulani herdsmen came to our residential premises with their cows and one of the boys in the community asked them why they were bringing their cows into our homes.
“Then they opened fire on him, but the boy was lucky, as the bullet missed him and he escaped.
“On Sunday, we did not go to church. They attacked us again. Two of our boys were shot and were rushed to the Jos University Teaching Hospital,JUTH,in Plateau State.
“On Sunday, we sat down and discussed and we said there was the need for us to find a solution to this problem because these people are going about with their cows, carrying sophisticated guns.
“They will enter your farm and once you talk to them, they will open fire on you. We felt this will not help us and we thought there is the need for us to come together and address this issue.
“Soldiers from Plateau and Kaduna states gave order that nobody among my children who have dane guns that they have been using for hunting should use them again.
“Today they were armed with AK47. Those who entered my village were well armed. It was like some of the things I used to watch in the movies.
“They were dressed in black and red, with sophisticated guns. They entered our village and were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, they were in large numbers.
“I cannot tell how many they were, but they were in large numbers.
“They started shooting us and everybody was running for his dear life. They were pursuing us like chickens. I was lucky; otherwise you would have heard that the District Head was killed.
“I just managed to escape. When my people didn’t see me, they thought that I was killed. But they burnt my house and several other houses.
“We have discovered 11 corpses and we are just burying the corpses now. We are still searching for more bodies because many people are still missing.
“The police ordered us to do the burial. The police came and took pictures of everything and the names of those who were killed.
“We are under serious threat of elimination here and nobody seems to be telling the world about the danger we are facing in the hands of these Fulanis.
“They go about with AK47 guns and are terrorising our communities. We cannot defend ourselves because we don’t have arms like them. We are really finding it difficult to survive here.
“We are told that there is security, whereas there is no security. If there is security why are these people always attacking us at will and killing us?
“I am a village man, nobody may hear me but I am speaking the truth. The Fulani want to pursue us from our lands,” the district head told newsmen.
The incident was said to have dominated discussions at the State Security Council meeting presided over by Governor Muktar Yero on Tuesday.
Spokesman of the Governor, Ahmed Maiyaki, in a telephone interview said the government was working out a solution to the problem.
According to Maiyaki, “This incident has happened repeatedly, what government has resolved to do is to have direct engagement with the people of this community and the Fulani leadership for a lasting solution.
“Government commiserates with the victims of the unfortunate attack. Government has also directed security agencies to intensify the provision of security,” Maiyaki assured.
Comments