LG Chairman Imposes 24-hour Curfew On Kafanchan

The interim caretaker committee chairman of Jema’a local government Area in Kaduna State, Dr. Bege Katuka, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Kafanchan town, following mass protest over the persistent killings in Southern Kaduna. Kafanchan is the headquarters of Jema’a local government area (LGA) as well as the commercial nerve centre of the Southern Kaduna…

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The interim caretaker committee chairman of Jema’a local government Area in Kaduna State, Dr. Bege Katuka, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Kafanchan town, following mass protest over the persistent killings in Southern Kaduna.

Kafanchan is the headquarters of Jema’a local government area (LGA) as well as the commercial nerve centre of the Southern Kaduna zone.

Hundreds of youths, women and children early yesterday, took to the streets to protest the persistent killings of their loved ones by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

The curfew, according to the chairman, is aimed at averting any break down of law and order in the area.

Last week, five persons were killed in Kachira village in Kaura LGA, and 15 persons in Ungwan Rana, Gadani village, Gwagwada district of Chikun LGA of Kaduna state to add to the number of those killed since a new onslaught was launched by the suspected herdsmen on some parts of Southern Kaduna.

According to reports, the protesters were in their hundreds and carried placards asking the Kaduna State government to arrest the violence in the area as they sang in a long and solemn procession, waving green leaves.

Spokesman of the protesters, Pastor Chawaison Nathan, said the killings were a grand plot to wipe out a section of the people.

He said, “It is no longer a rumour that there is a grand plan that is well schemed to annihilate the good people of Southern Kaduna and make our land desolate.

“There is unimaginable support from high places in forms finances, supply of weapons and mercenaries, where expertise is required.

“Our people are killed, both young, old, men,women, and even children are not spared, which appears to be a complete cleansing carried against the Christian-dominated area.”

Chawaison maintained that despite the wanton killings against the people of Southern Kaduna, the government of the day has remained “uninterested in our suffering by busily telling the world lies whereas innocent souls are being killed everyday.

“The people are the core task of government in every democratic setting is to ensure the safety of lives and properties; anything short of this renders the government invalid.”

On his part, a cleric with the Governors’ Assembly, Pastor Gideon

Mutum, said, “The killings going in Southern Kaduna have resulted in more than 5,000 internal displaced persons (IDPs).

“I myself, I have in camp more than 1,000 IDPs in Takau and the government is doing nothing about it. What is going in Southern Kaduna is a deliberate genocide against the people of Southern Kaduna.

“They have been killing us in the name of herdsmen and there has never been any arrest by the government. The only thing we heard is the governor has gone ahead to find the perpetrators from Chad, Mali and Senegal and even compensated them.

“If these attacks continue unabated, we have no alternative than to ask our people to use all legal means to protect themselves.”

Meanwhile, the protest, which started peacefully as early as 8am, however, turned into a skirmish after the procession was challenged by unknown persons opposed to it.

Though no life was lost, a few persons were said to have sustained injuries.

It was also gathered that at about 10am, armed mobile policemen arrived at the area and started shooting teargas canisters into the crowd, which quickly dispersed.

At the time of writing this report, more trucks of armed policemen were said to be leaving the state capital, Kaduna, and headed for the troubled area.

Kaduna State government had on Sunday evening banned all forms of processions and unholy gatherings in the state.

Source:Nigerian News from Leadership News

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