Terrorists kill 13 in Katsina, abduct village head, others

 

 

 

ISWAP: Take seriously Zulum’s alarm on terrorists’ recruitment, Ortom warns FG

 

In a fresh attack in the early hours of Tuesday, sophisticated gun-wielding terrorists, in their numbers, stormed Bakori-Funtua axis of Katsina State, killed no fewer than 13 persons and abducted many.

 

Among those kidnapped include the Village Head of Cugar in Bakori LGA, Alhaji Umar along with many children and women, a source disclosed.

 

According to the source, the terrorists began their operation from Dakuwa village, late night on Monday, looting shops before proceeding to Gidan Kanawa, where they killed three people.

 

Dakuwa and Gidan Kanawa village are said to be under Funtua Local Government Area.

 

Not satisfied with their adventure at Dakuwa and Gidan Kanawa village, the hoodlums proceeded to Cuga community in Bakori LGA early Tuesday.

 

They reportedly killed an additional 10 persons and abducted their village head, Alhaji Umar as well.

 

In the course of the operation, the terrorists also raided the communities, looting residents of their valuables, razing houses, cars and motorcycles.

 

The operation, sources said, lasted for a long time.

 

Confirming the report, Abdullahi Umar, son of the kidnapped village head said: “We started hearing gunshots around 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

 

“This threw our community into commotion. I saw my father heading towards the village centre, but was escorted back to his residence by gun-wielding men who ransacked our homes then took him away along with several children and women.

 

“They also rustled several animals and burnt down houses, cars and motorcycles.”

 

Abdullahi noted that the terrorists were yet to contact the community or family members of those kidnapped to make any demand.

 

The slain victims were said to have been buried around noon, according to Islamic rights, a source said.

Also, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has urged the federal government to take the alarm raised by the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum on the recruitment of more fighters by the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP seriously.

The governor has also called on the federal government and non governmental organisations to evolve security strategies that will see the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their ancestral homes without delay.

According to the governor: “I want to lend my voice to what my colleague in Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum has cried out against, the activities of ISWAP in that part of the country. The federal government should not take this alarm from the threats of ISWAP lightly.”

The governor advised the federal government to “take proactive steps to send the terrorists away from Nigeria so that we can live in peace. We can not continue this way. Nigeria deserves more peace than what we have now,” he stated.

Governor Ortom spoke Tuesday at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, when he received a delegation from the Victim Support Fund (VSF), led by its chairperson, Mrs Toyosi Akerele Ogunsiji. He also called on leaders of the country to speak up and not remain silent in the face of insecurity.

VSF is led by a former Chief of Army Staff, retired General Theophilus Danjuma.

Ortom regretted that immediately he came in as governor in 2015, he foresaw the danger of allowing the activities of Fulani militia herdsmen to fester for long without a permanent solution, the result of which we he said, “we are seeing today.”

He however noted that “the strategic support we want now is to enable our people living in the IDPs to return to their ancestral lands. Our people want to go back to their communities so that they can live their normal lives.”

Governor Ortom stated that his idea of conducting a mass burial for victims of the January 1st, 2018 killings by militia herdsmen was meant to draw attention to the security situation in the country, saying leaders at all levels need to speak out against the ills in the country.

The governor commended the VSF under the leadership of retired General Danjuma for intervening in some critical areas in the plight of the IDPs in Benue, describing the elder statesman as forthright and outspoken on national issues.

Governor Ortom called on VSF to intensity support in the areas of improved healthcare services to IDPs, upscale its educational activities from primary to secondary education in the camps, support NGOs to continue to render help to the IDPs, among others.

Earlier, Mrs Ogunsiji said they were in the state to get more from the governor on critical areas VSF should intervene in both short and long term so the organisation does not just throw money at the problems confronting the IDPs.

She stated that the visit followed a request by Governor Ortom to the VSF for support to the IDPs, stressing that a visit to the camps has revealed to the team the unhealthy nature of the environment inhabited by the IDPs.

The VSF chairperson noted that Benue as a critical stakeholder in the area of food security has seriously been affected by security in the state and country at large and must be encouraged to overcome.