The residents of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have expressed dismay at the persistent attacks, killings and abductions of people in the area by terrorists recently.
The President of the Kuturmi Unity Development Association (KUDA), Joseph Ariko, and its Publicity Secretary, Manasseh Akwando, in a statement on Thursday, explained that two people were recently killed, while about 20 others were kidnapped by terrorists, who came in large numbers, invaded Akwando community in Kachia local government and perpetrated their evil act.
According to them, “The development has seriously caused concern to the people, which led to the displacement of many residents from their ancestral homes to other places.”
The association condemned in strong terms the latest attack, saying it represented another disturbing development in the persistent security challenges confronting the area, as the people are still grappling with the consequences of the Easter Sunday attack on Ariko that led to the death of many of the victims.
According to the association, “The names of the 20 persons reportedly abducted during the Akwando attack are Usman Galadima, La’a’zarus Genesis, Madalin Markus, Happy Stephen, Lovet Ishaya, Afiniki Irimeya, Amina Ahmadu, Miracle Genesis, Hellen Irimeya and Musa Genesis.
“Others are Janet Irimeya, Gloria Markus, Zila Stephen, Alis Ahmadu, Haske Ahmadu, Great Isiac, Hanatu Irimeya, Desmon Ishaya, Siam Shagari and Nansy Genesis.”
The association lamented that the Easter Sunday attack on Ariko reportedly claimed the lives of five persons at the scene, while another 17 victims subsequently died in captivity, stressing that the recurrence of attacks, killings, abductions and displacement across our communities has become an increasingly serious humanitarian and security concern.
Following the persistent attacks, the association lamented that residents continued to experience fear, uncertainty and psychological distress, while families had been separated, livelihoods disrupted, farmlands abandoned and ancestral settlements exposed to persistent insecurity.
It added that armed groups had interfered with residents’ access to their ancestral lands and agricultural activities, including reported demands for payments or levies before community members could cultivate their farms or harvest their produce.
KUDA called on the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government and Kachia Local Government Council to urgently deploy adequately equipped security personnel to Akwando, Ariko, Awon and other vulnerable communities to urgently address the urgly security challenges being encountered by the various communities.
