The unrelenting insecurity aimed at ethnic nationalities of Southern Kaduna, in the Middle Belt of Nigeria seems to have taken another dimension.
Southern Kaduna, is the buffer belt between the majority Muslim population of Northwest Nigeria and the Christian stronghold of Nigeria Middle Belt.
The Southern Kaduna People Union (SOKAPU) – the umbrella socio-cultural body of the 57 ethnic groups of Southern Kaduna estimated at 5.2 million spread in 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna state, Thursday raised the alarm over increasing cases of select kidnap and murder of some of its prominent members.
A Statement made available to the press in Kaduna, Friday, signed by Josiah Yusuf Abraks, Public Relations Officer of SOKAPU said that the District Heads or traditional ruler of Garu community, Alhaji Babangida Adamu Suleiman was kidnapped in Lere LGA, Wednesday by suspected armed herdsmen. The statement said further, that a popular evangelist, Pastor Peter Shabanyan was assassinated in his home in Katul Crossing community of Kachia.
“In another development in Kwassam Dr. Ishaya James was killed and eight other people kidnapped also in Kauru LGA”, the statement added.
Dr. Ishaya was a very beloved Doctor in his community for his charitable medical assistance to local farmers of his community.
In the same vein, Caleb Musa Kantiyok Dogo, Chairman, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) Kaduna State branch narrowly escaped assassination as he visited his village, Ayagan Kukwan, Zangon Kataf LGA, Wednesday, according to findings.
Dogo was the immediate past National Deputy Chairman of Bajju Development Association (BADA) .
Confirming the incident to our reporter from Abuja on phone yesterday, Dogo said, it’s true that there was an attempt on my life.
“I was having supper with my cousins Wednesday evening.
“The Four gunmen came to my village around 7pm on two motorbikes pretending that I had given them an appointment to see me, so they wanted to be shown where I was. They were four in numbers,” he said.
“But their looks betrayed them as herdsmen,” he said.
“People were still moving around, especially our ever vigilant youths. So, when the herdsmen were further questioned by the youths they got angry. They reached out to their long flowing trench coats, brought out two AK 49 rifles and started shooting in the air. And they zoomed off into the night.
“When I came out to see commotion all over. I was told that they had come for me and I was vividly told what happened,” he said.
“The entire villages around were on red alert. I had to find my way to Abuja that night,” he said.
According to him, for years he has had a hunch that he was a mark for assassination or kidnapped after his uncle, Sunday Katiok, 64, was killed and their family compound set ablaze by suspected herdsmen in 2015.
“I hardly visit the village since my uncle was killed and our family home destroyed by fire set by the attacking Fulani herdsmen,” Dogo told our reporter..
“I have always known that my life was in danger, because after the murder of my uncle, who was a very successful farmer in Zangon Kataf LGA, many of our outstanding sons were either killed or kidnapped for huge ransom,” he told our Correspondent.
In May, 2023, the National President of BADA, Habila Madaki, a retired Director with the Central Bank of Nigeria, was kidnapped in his home and kept for two weeks until an undisclosed amount of ransom paid the kidnappers, said to be armed Fulani bandits, this medium can confirm.
Shortly before Madaki was kidnapped, Dr. Yakubu Sankay, a former Director General of National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Jos, Plateau State, was murdered in his village when he came to visit his home folks in Zonkwa, Bajju land, Zangon Kataf LGA.
NIPPS is Nigerian most elitist government run college of administration.
“So, if you heard that I escaped an assassination attempt, it is true,” he said and I have reported the case to the police.
I have also notified SOKAPU and the Middle Belt Forum,” he told our reporter.
The Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna State Chapter, Comrade Luka Binniyat confirmed the incident to our reporter.
“I heard about the assassination attempt on Caleb Katiok from some of our members from Zangon Kataf LGA before he called to inform me,” said Binniyat who was also the immediate past national spokesman of SOKAPU.
“What is going on in Southern Kaduna looks like the Fulani herdsmen are picking our important and useful members of our communities for elimination or humiliating kidnap.
“The Middle Belt Forum is calling on all our members to do everything within the law to secure their communities since it looks that the government is incapable of securing us in the Middle Belt,” he said.
The Middle Belt Forum is the pan-socio-cultural body of all the over 250 ethnic groups of the Middle Belt of Nigeria spread in 14 States, including Southern Kaduna.
