Displaced By Armed Bandits: SOKAPU Demands UN Intervention in Southern Kaduna Crisis

• Armed bandits have consistently attacked Southern Kaduna communities, killing innocent people and displacing others, occupying as much as 6,000sqkm of land.

• SOKAPU, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, has called on the international community to investigate the situation and establish a UN or AU Peace Enforcement Operation Base in Southern Kaduna.

• Despite this, there has been silence from international bodies, leaving minority ethnic groups feeling abandoned and under threat.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has decried the consistent attack by armed bandits on their communities as well as the killing of several innocent persons.

The president of SOKAPU, Mr Dio Maisamari during a press conference on Thursday at the headquarters of the union in Kaduna State lamented that the bandits have displaced their people and taken over as much as 6,000sqkm of their land.

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Apart from the land, he lamented that many people have been killed, several others injured and some have had to flee their communities due to the fear of getting attacked by the bandits.

Maisamari said the security situation is becoming unbearable for their people as about 245 Southern Kaduna communities have been sacked.

In his words, “We are constrained to address you today on the pressing issue of security situation affecting our people in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State.

“68 persons have been killed in Atyap land, leaving 15 others with life-threatening injuries. These attacks have created streams of displaced persons fleeing for safety.

“If the size of these captured areas is added to Birnin Gwari and adjoining areas, these outlaws have taken about 6,000sq Km of Kaduna land which is bigger than the size of some states.”

SOKAPU Makes Fresh Demand

The SOKAPU chairman berated the silence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Africa Union (AU), the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations (UN) over the situation in Southern Kaduna.

He, therefore, used the opportunity to call on the continental and global bodies to send independent investigation teams to Southern Kaduna to debunk or confirm our claims of ethnic cleansing here.

According to him, they have lost hope in the Nigerian state and want the United Nations to come and establish an operational base in Southern Kaduna.

“On these notes, we are concerned about the curious silence of Amnesty International (Al) on the pogrom ongoing in Southern Kaduna.

“We are also sad about the silence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Africa Union (AU), the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations (UN) over the situation in Southern Kaduna.

“SOKAPU is calling on these continental and global bodies to send independent investigation teams to Southern Kaduna to debunk or confirm our claims of ethnic cleansing here.

“Before then, we advocate a UN or AU Peace Enforcement Operation Base in Southern Kaduna. This will demonstrate that the world is interested in our collective survival as minority ethnic group.

“It must not abandon us to be hounded by well -funded and well-armed suspected herdsmen who are being encouraged and protected by their kinsmen and collaborators in and outside Nigeria.

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“At this juncture, we will like to thank all good spirited per-sons, groups and non governmental organisations (NGOs) in and out of the country that have assisted in various ways.

“We plead that they should not relent on their gesture as indeed, our woes are not over”, he said.

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