A pastor, a father of nine children and a 16-year-old girl were among the victims of a spate of recent attacks in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
The most recent assault took place on 18th August in the village of Unguwan Gankon, when heavily-armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen opened fire on members of the community and set fire to homes.
"Armed Fulani militia invaded Unguwan Gankon village in Gora Ward, Zangon Kataf LGA, and killed two persons and burned seven houses,” explained Luka Binniyat of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU). “Wary neighbors, however, came to the rescue, and the murderers fled.”
The previous day, on Monday 17th August, Fulani fighters killed a 48-year-old father of nine, Bulus Joseph. His wife and three of his children were also attacked but managed to survive. "Bulus Joseph was murdered gruesomely on his farm...by armed Fulani militia,” Binniyat explained. “He stood up to the killers so that his wife and three children could escape, which they did. But he paid the price with his life, as he was sub-humanly butchered by the cold-blooded murderers.”
An additional attack on a vehicle took place on Sunday 16th August and resulted in the death of four Christians, including a pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) called Rev Adalchi Usman.
“Pastor Adalchi Usman, 39, and a father of two, was ambushed while in a commercial vehicle he had boarded with three others,” Binniyat added. “The killers came from the bush and just started shooting at the car. The driver of the vehicle, Danlami Dariya, was abducted and at the time of releasing this statement his whereabouts were still unknown.”
Another attack on the same day in a village near Banikanwa, Kachia County, saw the slaying of village head Dan’azumi Musa, 67; his mother, Kande Musa, 97; and his siblings Aniya Musa, 60, and Angelina Irmiya, 45. Six others suffered serious injuries.
"Part of the village was burnt after the attackers looted the village,” Binniyat said. “This is to further show that the siege on southern Kaduna communities is still ongoing. The genocide is still much on. For southern Kaduna, the past five years that Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai has been governor, it has been a grim horror tale of blood, destruction, and hopelessness which we shall never forget.”
