A group of Northern leaders in Kaduna State have called on the federal government to investigate the alleged killing of 11 Fulani youth in Tilde-Fulbe community in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The leaders, who made the call in a statement issued yesterday, include Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Professor Massoud Omar, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, Professor Muhammad Mustapha Gwadabe, and Professor Tanimu Abubakar,
Others are Dr Kabir S.Chafe,Mallam Babayola M. Tuongo, Professor Abdullahi Musa Ashafa
Malam Naseer Kura,Dr Salihu Zubairu Mustapha,Dr Aminu Musa, Malam Murtala Abubakar, Dr Aliyu U. Tilde and Dr Kabiru Danladi.
The statement reads: "We, the undersigned, in the exercise of our constitutional rights and in good conscience as concerned and dutiful Nigerian citizens, hereby add our collective voice to an appeal made for intervention and investigation into the murder of 11 Fulani youths by soldiers in Tilde Fulbe at Ladugga Grazing Reserve, Kachia Local Government.
"The appeal was made by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, to the President, president of the Senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, the governor of Kaduna State and the Northern Governors Forum.
"Our support for the appeal is based on the conviction that in the context of the current devastating insecurity and economic hardships, failure to investigate such grave allegations of willful murder of innocent citizens by agents of the state will only further deepen the distrust for state institutions, sever the bond between government and people and jeopardize the security-community relations.
"We believe the federal government should, at this trying moment, promptly investigate allegations of breaches and indiscretions on such fundamental human rights as security of life, personal liberty and property, in order to halt this negative trend and provide succour to the aggrieved parties.
"By doing this, the federal government would have discharged its constitutional responsibilities, therefore safeguarding its image and that of the military and other security agencies.
"Our appeal for intervention and remediation is informed by the disturbing details of what appears to be deliberate and unprovoked actions by some elements of the Nigerian military in the arbitrary killings of citizens from the affected rural communities as revealed by the findings of the preliminary investigations carried out by the Kaduna State chapter of MACBAN.
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"The report of the investigation, which is contained in a press statement by the Association provides disturbing details of how the extra-judicial killings and looting of households by soldiers were carried out in the Tilde Fulbe community in Ladugga. Some of the findings based on newspaper reports and on the spot investigation by MACBAN
"In its Thursday, January 11, 2024 edition, Daily Trust reported the discovery of eleven dead bodies of Fulani youths of the Tilde Fulbe community alleged to have been murdered in cold blood by elements of the Nigerian military, from the Nigerian School of Artillery, NASA, and the Nigerian Navy Armament Technology School at the Ladugga grazing reserve.
"The names of the eleven victims were given as Safiyanu Adamu, Abdulkadir Idris, Akilu Abdullahi, Ibrahim Abubakar, Magaji Umar, Saidu Saleh, Abdulaziz Yusuf and Nura Magaji.
"The alleged gruesome murder of these young men came barely one month after the killing of 80 people who were celebrating the Eid el Maulud at Tudun Biri village of Igabi local government area of Kaduna state, through aerial bombardment by the Nigerian army.
"The military authorities later claimed the incident was 'an accident'. Furthermore, the murder of the eleven Fulani youths came in spite of the caution and calls for restraints by eminent Nigerians after the Tudun Biri tragedy."
