Kaduna attacks: Police say normalcy has return to troubled areas …We still live in fear – Locals – Gobroadsheet
//Policing: Ojo Shola, Kaduna//
Kaduna State Police Command has said normalcy has returned to troubled Godogodo Chiefdom and Sanga in Jema’a and Sanga local government areas of Kaduna State where about 15 lives were lost during the alleged invasion of Fulani herdsmen.
Speaking in his office, the Commands Spokesperson, ASP Aliyu Usman said the command has intensified surveillance in all Kaduna communities to protect lives and property of people resident in the State, quickly added that continents of State Security outfit known as ‘Operation Yaki’ and mobile police units have been successfully dispatched to the troubled Southern Kaduna communities to nip the menace in the bud.
According to him “It is quite unfortunate that people who have been together for a long time could result to killing one another over a trivial issue that could have been settled amicably. But then, the command has successfully arranged and dispatched continents of state security outfit, Operation Yaki and mobile police operation units to the areas where we recently have clash between farmers and herdsmen. The area is now calm and people are gradually coming back to their homes.
“It is important to add that the Police Commander in charge of Kafanchan area command has successfully brought the warring groups together in order to permanently nip the menace in the bud and I can tell the general public that stakeholders have signed peace agreement, indicating their interest to put the matter to rest.
“Despite that understanding, we are not relenting and that is why we are deploying more personnel and undercover agents to ensure that the area remain peaceful. We want to encourage people living in the area to please get closer to police and other security agents in their area. Get the contact of policemen so they can respond promptly. Police always want to be proactive in managing crisis rather than taking step after it may have happened. Then this can only be strengthened when locals tell their suspicion story to police early enough”, he urged.
However, some locals who declined to give their identity said though security men are in the area, but they are still in shock even as they continue to sojourn at various nearby communities because of the fear of the unknown.
One of them said, “I don’t really understand what the police meant by protecting the area when people are still living in fair. We cannot go to our farms as we used to. These Fulani are still destroying our farm produce and you are saying there is improved security in the area. Yes there physical presence of police but that has not given people that assurance and confidence to go back and sleep with their two eyes closed.
“And let me tell you, people want security men in their midst and not blowing siren all over the highway and claiming to be protecting us. On the peace pact, well, I don’t know but we want peace. We want freedom. We want people behind these killings to repent and embrace peace for all us to know peace”, he stressed.
Ungwan Anjoh, Gada Biyu, Godogodo, Ungwan Mada and Ningon all within Jema’a and Sanga LGA were the affected communities during the alleged herdsmen invasion between July and August this year where dozens were gruesomely murdered. The area is about 250 kilometers from Kaduna the state capital.