When is Kaduna killing going to stop?

The spate of killings in Southern Kaduna has continued unabated despite the dusk-to-dusk curfew imposed by the state government. But, will Kaduna ever know peace? Samuel Ajayi asks

In Gonan Rogo village in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, blood flowed. Human beings were mercilessly hacked down and houses set ablaze. For Azumi Boka, an old woman of 93 years, who could barely see, she would have wished she died ten times over instead of killing eleven children of hers.

And as authorities seemed helpless in the situation, the question many are asking is if Kaduna would ever know peace?

For Governor Nasir el-Rufai, these are not the best of times. In fact, his fellow governors would not envy him. He seems to have a problem in his hands, which appears to be defying solutions.

The Southern Kaduna killings have gone for too long. And from all indications, there seems to be no hope for a thaw in the crisis at sight. As Kaduna bleeds, the world helplessly looks on.

While people of Southern Kaduna have felt the brunt of the attacks more, there are reports that the killing might not be one sided as being reported.

The umbrella body of Fulani cattle rearers, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, came in support of its members, who might be involved in the killings saying they were acting in self-defence.

The body claimed any attack from its members were reprisal attacks against native militias, who have continued to kill its members and kill or rustle their cattle.

Reports have it that between July 21 and 24, about 43 people were killed and now the figure has risen to 178 in the last seven months. While the state government said the killings were being carried out by bandits terrorising the north western and eastern part of the country, those who are privy to the killings said this was not true as these killings are being carried out by militias targeting Southern Kaduna.

On July 21, a tweet from the Presidency said: “The Presidency wishes to state that the problem of insecurity in Southern Kaduna is more complicated than many people are willing to admit.”