Lawmakers in the Green Chamber on Wednesday called on the Federal and the Kaduna State governments to immediately declare a security emergency in Southern Kaduna Senatorial district over the recent massacre of over 44 persons by suspected Fulani Herdsmen.
They also called on the government to set up a military strike force in Southern Kaduna as an interim measure to curtail incessant attacks that have been going on in the area since 2011.
The resolution which was a continuation of a motion brought under Matters of urgent importance by a member Simon Arabo and five other lawmakers also called on the security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend and bring to justice all persons involved in the series of attacks in the area.
The resolution of the motion titled, “Urgent need for a declaration of emergency over the security situation in the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District of Kaduna State,” also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to provide relief materials to the internally displaced persons on account of the attacks.
While moving the motion, Arabo alleged that various communities in Southern kaduna had been consistently attacked by Fulani terrorists since 2011 resulting in deaths, injuries, loss of properties and displacements of the communities.
Arabo alleged that the recent attacks were in the presence of some security personnels who did nothing to prevent them.
His words: “On the 15th-16th October 2016, Godo-godo community in Jama’a Local Government Area and other communities in Kaura and Kauru Local Government Areas have been attacked by the Fulani terrorists resulting in deaths of scores of people, injuries, wanton destruction of communities and other acts of mayhem.”
He said that Southern Kaduna is substantially agrarian with arable and fertile lands and good weather and that subsequent to attacks by the Fulani terrorists, Fulani herdsmen had occupied some of the displaced communities.
The House of Rep member further noted that the Federal Government had declared a security emergency in Zamfara State in the wake of similar terrorist attacks and set up a military strike force there.
The attacks on the communities, he said, “indicated a pattern of deliberate desire to annihilate the affected communities, decimate their population, occupy their lands and create an atmosphere of terror.”
In the time past, he said, there was a resolution to set up a military battalion/base in Kafanchan in Southern Kaduna, but the resolution was yet to be implemented, adding that there was a general atmosphere of insecurity in the area.
However, there was a mild drama as a member Abubakar Lawan representing Yola South, Yola North Federal Constituency of Adamawa State raised a point of order, saying that the use of “‘Fulani terrorists” by Arabo was offensive to the Fulanis.
The Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, who presided however got Arabo to expunge the word from the motion to allow peace return to the plenary.
