Kaduna — Heavy fighting, killings and burning of property continued, yesterday, in Hausa/Fulani dominated parts of Kaduna, as the minority non-Muslims in the areas tried to fight back despite the 24-hour curfew imposed over the entire state. This came as Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to those responsible for the violence to stop spilling innocent blood.
As the battle raged, trapped residents who were unable to leave their homes as a result of the 24-hour curfew imposed by the government have cried out saying they were running out of food, medicine and water.
Meanwhile, worried by the spate of killings and destruction, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Olusheyin Petinrin and the Acting Inspector General of Police, M D Abubakar held a closed-door meeting with Governor Patrick Yakowa on how to bring normalcy to the state.
The violence was in retaliation to mass killings of Hausa Muslims and the destruction of their property by Christian youths in Kaduna after Islamist militants bombed two churches in Zaria and one in Kaduna last Sunday, killing 17 and injuring several others.
In Bardarawa, north of Kaduna town,fighting raged between Muslims and non-Muslims around 4pm yesterday.
There were reports of killings and burning of homes of mainly non Hausas, but it was also said that youths in some parts of the area, were retaliating.
Meanwhile, casualty continued to rise at the time of this report from findings by Vanguard.
Pope urges end to attacks on Christians in Nigeria
Pope Benedict in his reaction, yesterday, called for immediate end to what he called "terrorist attacks"against Christians in Nigeria and urged all sides to avoid reprisals.
The pope at his weekly general audience said, "I am following with deep concern the news from Nigeria, where terrorist attacks are continuing especially against Christians. I appeal to those responsible for the violence to immediately stop the spilling of the blood of many innocent people."
He urged all groups in Nigeria to shun "the path of vendetta"and work towards building a peaceful society where people were free to practise their religion.
Hospitals receive more corpses, injured persons
At the St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, the Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Mr Sunday John confirmed to Vanguard that five corpses were deposited, yesterday, with 14 injured persons, as a result of the fresh violence.
At the Barau Dikko General Hospital, an unspecified number of dead bodies were taken there with many other injured persons.
It was also gathered that some other private hospitals were treating many injured victims.
Another source told Vanguard, that a car conveying four traders to their business premises on Jos Road, off Bayajida Street, was burnt with all the occupants of the car, inside,Tuesday.
"Their bodies are still inside the burnt car", said the source who asked not to be mentioned.
In Barnawa part of the town, it was reported that some trucks and buses were brought to evacuate many women and children since the violence broke out last Sunday.
A source at Barnawa, told Vanguard in his home, that some arms and ammunition were recovered in a mosque along Unguwan Barde, on Aliyu Makama Road.
"When the youths stormed the Holy Family Catholic Church last Tuesday evening, we knew that they would not have the guts if they did not have something to fall back to. We organised ourselves and chased them with sticks and stones. Soon the loudspeaker in the mosque started calling for prayers at that odd time. The man calling for the prayers even said that they should come ready to fight. It was at this point that we informed the soldiers and they came into the mosque and arrested three persons with arms and ammunition", he said.
"We have been told reliably that they have brought in their fighters. We have not slept since last Monday evening, keeping watch over them", he added.
At far away Kawo, it was reported that youths were said to have hijacked vehicles, killing travelers.
At Hiyin Banki, many were reported killed, while Christian youths had also responded by killing and burning some Hausa Muslims and their property.
Curiously however, the areas south of Kaduna River were calm yesterday.
But a source, told Vanguard that some of the youths had sneaked out to join in the fight North of the river.
Major streets in Kaduna were deserted, shops and offices were shut while schools and business areas were closed.
40 persons killed in Damaturu
Also in Damaturu, Yobe state capital where a 24-hour curfew has also been imposed, 34 civilians, four policemen and two soldiers were said to have been killed according to the state police commissioner, Mr Patrick Egbuniwe.
The city was deserted Wednesday after the government imposed a 24-hour curfew that left residents trapped wherever they were when violence erupted.
After being trapped for two days, residents said they were running out of food, medicine and water.
Abdul Malik, a 41-year-old father of two, said his family has stopped taking baths so they can have more water to drink.
"We should be giving the children antibiotics but we are just boiling the water, especially for the baby," he said.
Malik said he felt fortunate, however, that he had already returned home when the first blasts went off.
Isa Ahmed Dori, 39, said he was separated from his wife and child because he had gone to visit a friend. He has since learnt that his father-in-law died in the violence.
"I am in a dilemma," he said on the phone. "I don't know how my family is faring."
An auto mechanic in the restive city said he has not been home since the fighting started.
"I have been in my workshop since Monday," Gambo Bakanike told AFP. "We have an open well from which we can get our drinking water, but we have run out of food."
A senior hospital official said he and his staff have also been stranded since Monday.
"There is water but we don't have any food. Our families can't bring us anything because of the curfew," said the official who asked to remain anonymous.
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am a Christian and i have a very lot of Muslim friends is it now that we going to be enemy when the so call politician that god will punish them created these crisis for their own benefit and our own oga president went to Brazil with over 100 people that will all die like DANA in lagos and we shall celebrate them in Jesus name. and the the foolish information minister said he can rule anywhere why can't he go to kaduna and rule. bastard we did not benefit any tin from them rather dead every where in the country and they are making money for themselves and their generation to come that will die one after the other.for civil war to happen i pray that am army officer should come to power and kill them all and collect all our money from them for the development of the country like GHANA. GEJ you have fail us and god will punish you i regrat voting for you.
Omo9ja; The President has a messianic mission for all of us Christians,thanks to the Chief;Olusegun Obasanjo. After the Chief,the Hausa/Fulanis muslims had their grand plan to permanently take over,islamize and govern Nigeria perpetually under a dubious democratic dispensation.The North has 19 surplus States with inflated demographies and with that they control every institution in the nation. With Chief Obasanjo's ingenuity and divine intervention combined,the demise of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua let the governance of the nation slip from the grip of the cattle rearers.There came our Messiah,Jonathan! The Sultan of Sokoto called the emergency of Goodluck Ebele Jonatha a threat to the culture,land,religion of his Hausa/Fulani people.Alhaji Adamu Ciroma and the Stakeholder of the Islamic North promised to make Nigeria ungovernable for our President.The fucking Hausa/Fulani muslims see Nigeria as their Estate.They conquered Biafra and Nigeria is their fiefdom. But Nigeria will never again fall into the calloused hands of the Hausa/Fulani cattle rearers.Their political monolithic North is no more.The Hausa/Fulani muslims are all alone.May God bless the Chief.He is a god!Thank you Baba Iyabo!
The problem with this Nigeria is that many shy away from the truth. Take a close look at it some of the so called Boko Haram sponsors will soon come out to contest for 2015 enough is enough, by their fruit we all know them we all need to wake up and say NO to this kind of bitter politics where people uses the lives of innocent citizen they claim they want to serve to resolve their political ambition. If you truly love Nigerian then you must love Nigerians irrespective of tribe it can be Igbo, yoruba..etc, The killing in the north is more than 25years till date, we are still bearing and many lives are still wasted. We need to define what we want, if a particular tribe decide to continue ruling, let them create a segment or fraction of Nigeria and continue to rule. If you can create a life and you are wasting lives there is nothing good you have to offer the country because the most valuable resources in a nation is Human, if you dont value human lives you cannot value ANYTHING. ANYTHING. ANYTHING.
A nation where there is war, they can never be development. FG should focus on how to put a stop to this violence. They should try & put their selves in the shoe of those that have lost their love ones & property, & do something urgently about the situation in the northern region because it is too much & it is affecting the image of Nigeria worldwide. God bless Nigeria. Amen
How many minutes will it take the federal government to mobilize her air, land and sea superiority power to find and crush these idots and their sponsors who are causing untold hardship to innocent citizens of Nigeria? I cannot image some one who calls himself a religious minister calling out people to come and kill other people in the name of the God they both worship. Shame to that kind of religion. It is either we have here idots leading idots or they are people who never value their own lives. Such people must in conscience by the federal government be reduced to ashes. There should be no going back for the man caught with the microphone in the musque calling others to come and kill while he stays behind the enjoy life. Shame to them!