The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU)

  • SOKAPU to El-Rufai: exhume victim’s corpses to justify 130 casualty figure

    As Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Tuesday disclosed that the death toll from the recent killings in Kajuru local government area of the state has risen to 130, mouthpiece of the southern Kaduna people, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has asked the Governor to prove his claim.

    SOKAPU President, Solomon Musa, a lawyer in a telephone interview with The Nation asked Governor El-Rufai to justify his 130 casualty figure claims, by exhuming victims’ bodies to show the world.

    Musa said, in the history of several other crises in Southern Kaduna, Governor El-Rufai had never come out to disclose figures of casualties and ethnic nationalities of the victims, except now.

    According to him, “information available to me has it that, on Sunday, 11 people were killed in Ungwan Barde, and up till now that I am talking to you, the Governor has not visited that place. So, it becomes very suspicious.

    “Now, I don’t want to bother on the issue of whether 66 people or 130 people were killed or not, because every human life is sacred, and the life of a Fulani man is as precious as the life of an Adara person, the life of a Muslim is as precious as the life of a Christian. So, it is not about number.

    “But, assuming it is so, one would expect that the bodies would be there. One would expect that, if there are questions on the number of people, it should get to the point of exhuming, but 66 people dying on Friday, and by the next day, the bodies are not there? They were already buried? All these become suspicious

    “Assuming 66 people truly died on the eve of the suspended election. Let me tell you, it appears… The Governor in August last year held a meeting with Pastors and said, Southern Kaduna people love violence. And we issued a press statement in September, asking him why would he say that? We suspected him of planning something towards the election, we said it our press statement and there was no refutal from the state government.

    Read also: Yobe Desert stars coach Elechi battling for life after accident

    “When there was crisis in Kasuwan Magani late last year, we didn’t hear the Governor saying so so number or Adara people or Fulani were killed. In the case of Kajuru, even if it were to be only Adara people that were killed, I don’t expect the Governor on the eve of an important election to announce that, 11 Adara people were killed, because doing that, and then telling the people not to carry out reprisal attack, what is that? This is a father the state for crying out loud.

    “That is why we said that, it appears the Governor is saying that, because he has a purpose. And the purpose is simple, as far as we are concerned is that, if there is crisis, the election will be postponed, then, who stands to benefit from it? I would expect that what he ought to have done at that time is to get the people around to douse the tension, rather than doing what he did.

    “So, what we are saying is is that it is even possible for 1,000 people to have been killed, but responsibility is on you to proof it if questions are raised. I am being scientific about it, if you say 66 it even 130 people were killed, then, you get medical team, get permission of the court, then you go and exhume and say look at the bodies.” SOKAPU President stressed.

  • 2019 elections: SOKAPU urges Nigerians to embrace peace

    The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) over the weekend urged its people and Nigerians to maintain a peaceful demeanour and conduct, especially during the forthcoming general elections.

    The Chairman of the Abuja Chapter of SOKAPU, Mr. David Manya Dogo, who made this known at its end of year cultural festival to showcase her rich heritage and to engender togetherness and peace, explained that the event was to demonstrate and celebrate the Southern Kaduna People’s culture that is rich, friendly, and peaceful.

    According to him, “The people of Southern Kaduna are known to be peaceful. We are a people of peace, social justice and equity; let us do whatever we can within our power to be peaceful.

    “There cannot be development without peace. We have to be good example of peace for others to follow.

    “The 2019 general election is by the corner; we therefore have a duty to appeal to our people to be part of the process. It is an opportunity to decide the kind of leadership we want for our country.

    “If we fail to vote, we lose the right and power to challenge the leadership when they don’t serve us well.”

    He further added that: “This event is an opportunity to fraternize and interact with one another; a number of us have not seen ourselves for a while. It is therefore, an opportunity to exchange ideas to help our people and move the country forward.

    “Most tribes in Southern Kaduna are working towards developing their languages and putting it in writing. Some tribes already have their written languages, and many others are also doing that. We are encouraging people to develop their language into written formats.”

    While encouraging the youths to play active roles in the political process of our country, Dogo said, “in the demographic of our country, the youths constitute of about 60% of our population, what it means is that the youths can take very far-reaching decisions when they decide to. You can change a lot of things as youths because of your number.”

    The event which not only celebrates the culture of the Southern Kaduna people, but also to thank God for being faithful, kind and gracious, witnessed a colourful array and extravagant display of the interesting and rich cultural heritage of the Southern Kaduna people. Apart from the obvious and palpable display of cacophony amongst the people, they were equally entertained by traditional dances and music.

    According to the Vice Chairman of the SOKAPU, Abuja Chapter, Mr. Jeremiah Peter, “We are here to tell the world what we can offer in terms of culture; culture being a uniting factor and medium for everyone to come together as one indivisible family.

    “This event has benefited the people in the sense that it has united us and brought us closer to interface. It is a melting point.

    “We also use this medium to identify some of our youths that are unemployed and see how we can help them get jobs. Also, those that are into business, we see how to support them with little finance to get started.”

  • 2019 Guber: Youths disassociate selves from Shehu Sani’s endorsement

    2019 Guber: Youths disassociate selves from Shehu Sani’s endorsement

    Ahead of 2019 governorship polls, the youth of Southern Kaduna under the umbrella of Concerned Southern Kaduna APC Youths, on Tuesday disassociated themselves from the endorsement of Senator Shehu Sani, by the youth wing of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU).

    Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, the leader of Concerned Southern Kaduna APC Youths, Hon. Manasseh Istifanus, called on people of the region to disregard what he described as, ‘a political charade’, saying, 2019 is still far and cannot be decided now by a group of people who are supposed to be politically neutral who endorse people without due consultations with the grassroots.

    Istifanus advised further that people should be allowed to express their political freedom as it is enshrined the constitution of the Federal Republic, stressing that Southern Kaduna is not for one party: “it is also not for one aspirant/candidate”.

    According to him, “It is no longer news that the SOKAPU Youth Wing on Sunday 14th May, 2017 held an emergency meeting at BBS Hotel in Barnawa, Kaduna in which the Leadership of the SAKAPU Youth Wing endorsed Sen. Shehu Sani as their gubernatorial candidate come 2019. After the meeting, a communiqué was issued by the Leadership of the SOKAPU Youth Wing”.

    “Some statements were made in their communiqué that seek to incite the good people of Southern Kaduna against the APC and the APC led Government in the State.

    On behalf of the APC Youths from Southern Kaduna, we wish to state categorically that we dissociate ourselves from that kangaroo endorsement of Sen. Shehu Sani by the Leadership of the SOKAPU Youth and we wish to State some facts clearly”.

    “Sen. Shehu Sani is not from Southern Kaduna and he is not representing Southern Kaduna in the National Assembly. He has never identified himself with the people of Southern Kaduna not until recently that he started nursing a political ambition that he started showing solidarity to the people of Southern Kaduna”.

    If at all there is a politician who has always identified himself with the people of Southern Kaduna, who is not from the zone, it should have been Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi. So, why did the Leadership of the SOKAPU Youth did not deem it fit to call Sen. Hunkuyi instead? We cannot forget in a hurry the demonization and negative statements that Sen. Shehu Sani made against the people of Southern Kaduna in 2011 after the post-election crisis that rocked the state in that same year”.

    “If the Leadership of SOKAPU Youth Wing is really honest with their patriotism for Southern Kaduna, why didn’t they endorse one politician from Southern Kaduna extraction? Or don’t we have politicians that are better than Sen. Shehu Sani? If Sen. Shehu Sani truly loves Southern Kaduna people as it was shown by the SOKAPU Youth, why won’t he pick one person from Southern Kaduna and support his/her political aspiration in 2019 against his personal ambition?

    In their communiqué, the SOKAPU Youth Leadership tagged Governor Nasir Elrufai as the “press secretary” of SIECOM which further portrays the partisanship of a Socio cultural group that is supposed to be politically neutral”.

    “We therefore distance ourselves from such a political suicide mission,” the concerned youths maintained.

     

  • Southern Kaduna: Set back for peace as hoodlums attack Emir

    • 3 killed in Tuesday night attack

    There was set back for the efforts to restore peace in the southern part of Kaduna State within the week as three persons were reported killed in a fresh violence, while the Emir of Jema’a, Alhaji  Muhammad Isa Muhammad’s convoy was attacked by hoodlums.

    Meanwhile, the Muslim community from Kafanchan has come out to condemn the alleged denial of the Emir’s attack by the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), demanding the investigation into the Emir’s convoy attack.

    Saturday Nation recalled that three people were reported killed and several others injured at Samaru-Kataf, in Zango Kataf Local Government Area Kaduna State on Tuesday.

    Violence had erupted at about 8:00pm on Tuesday night at Samarun Kataf, few hours after the state security council had relaxed curfew on the area to 11 hours.

    An eyewitness account had it that the attack occurred around 9:30 p.m. at a beer parlour close to Samarun Kataf market.

    According to the eyewitness who identified himself as Musa Israel, “We heard several gunshots from the direction of a beer parlour close to the market, we at first ran away from the area, but we later realised that three people were killed and their corpses were taken to General Hospital. Many other people were injured while running for their dear lives,” Israel said.

    The Kaduna Police Command PRO, Aliyu Usman, confirmed the incident but could not confirm the casualty.

    Meanwhile, the government had restored a 24-hour curfew on the local government shortly after the violence.

    A statement by the state government said, “The restoration of the curfew follows renewed security threats in Samaru-Kataf where the market was attacked by hoodlums. Security forces have taken steps to restore calm and vigorously enforce the curfew.”

    On the attack on Emir of Jema’a, Saturday Nation gathered that the attackers destroyed three vehicles including the pilot car while the Emir was returning to Kafanchan from the weekly security council meeting at the Government House in Kaduna.

    The Ciroma of Jema’a Emirate, Alhaji Kabiru Tanko, who escaped by the whiskers told newsmen in Kafanchan that, they were attacked around 8:00pm at Samaru Kataf after attending a meeting with the governor.

    According to the Chief, “when we reach Samaru Kataf, some armed youths surrounded us with all kind of weapons and started attacking our convoy. We immediately turned back to Kachia for our safety”, he said.

    The Ciroma commended Governor El-Rufai’s administration and the federal government for deploying security personnel in Southern Kaduna.

    He tasked the government to fully investigate the Southern Kaduna crises holistically, adding that the people behind the crises should be punished without fear or favour.

    He also called on both Muslims and Christians in the state to embrace peace, as all religions teach peace, in order to move the state forward.

    Meanwhile, the Jema’a Emirate yesterday addressed a world press conference calling on the ‎security agencies to investigate the attack on the convoy of the Emir of Jema’a, Alhaji Muhammad Isah Muhammad.

    The emirate also berated the Southern Kaduna people’s Union (SOKAPU) executives for denying that there was an attack on the Emir on the Hausa service of BBC.

    Deputy Chief Imam of the Emirate, Alhaji Muhammad Kabir Kassim also faulted SOKAPU ‎for not making a call to the emir or pay a visit to him over the attack.

    Similarly, the umbrella body of the Fulani community, Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breakers Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has threatened to sue the Vanguard Newspapers and it’s Kaduna State Correspondent over report alleged to be concocted and malicious.

    MACBAN at a joint press conference addressed yesterday by the National Headquarters, Kaduna State Chapter and Zone 3 Chapter, said the decision to seek legal action against the newspaper and it’s Kaduna State correspondent was sequel upon what it termed malicious and provocative article circulated by some media in which it was claimed that MACBAN will retaliate on attacks on its members in Southern Kaduna.

    Ibrahim Abdullahi (Assistant Nationa‎l Secretary General), Haruna Usman Tugga (State Chairman), Musa Mohammed Gambo (State. Secretary) and Abdullamid Musa (Zonal Chairman, Zone 3) who jointly addressed the press said, at no time did MACBAN issued such ‘irresponsible’ article to any media outlet.

    “MACBAN as a peace loving Association which has contributed immensely to the peace and reconciliation efforts not only in Southern Kaduna but also throughout the nation in general, will never decent so low as to advocate for the crisis by way of supporting reprisal attacks on innocent people under any pretext.

    “It is on record that MACBAN has contributed immensely not only in reaching out to all the victims of the 2011 post-election violence and all other subsequent crisis in Southern Kaduna both within and outside the country.

    “MACBAN wish to strongly and in an unequivocal terms, condemned this article and its authors and also called on the general public to disregard such irresponsible article.

    “We want to strongly warn those behind this provocative article in the interest of peace to desist from using our good name to create mischief in the society. We do hereby call on the security agencies to investigate this faceless undesirable element that are behind this write-up in order to bring them to book.

    “MACBAN would continue to reach out to all critical stakeholders and other individuals and groups with the view to working together to insure total reconciliation between these communities that have been co-existed peacefully together for many decades.

    “We wish to condemn a Concocted story by Kaduna State Correspondent of Vanguard Newspapers in 2016 during Godogodo attacks that our Chairman said Fulani have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

    “Our Chairman did not talk with him and we challenged him to provide evidence or retract that fake statements attributed to our Chairman and apologize our great Association or may face a legal action.

    “We call on our members nationwide and in particular those affected by the crisis in Southern Kaduna to disregard this article and always remain peaceful law abiding. We call on everyone to support the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government and all the security agencies in their efforts to return peace and normalcy to the area,” they said.