By Iliya Kure
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Youth in Southern Kaduna, central Nigeria on Monday barricaded road leading to Kafanchan and sent away Deputy Governor of the State, Barnabas Bantex, who was visiting the area to sympathise with them over attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The aggrieved youths who gathered were chanting and refused attempts by security forces to pacify them.
Mr. Bantex who patiently waited for about 30 minutes in his car decided to leave when the youth refused to clear the road for him to pass through.
Reports say, no fewer than 40 people were killed on Saturday by suspected attackers who invaded villages in Godogodo Chiefdom, killing people and burning houses.
In the last two months several people have been killed and property worth thousands of dollars destroyed.
A youth in the area told journalists, “On Sunday, we were able to get 20 corpse. But today, after the attacker were chased out this morning, we went into the town and picked badly damaged corpses,” said a youth leader who does not want his name mentioned.
“We retrieved corpse that were so badly burnt you would not know if it was a male or female. We now have at least 40 people dead. There could be more, because we are still searching,” he said.
The Police Spokesman in Kaduna, ASP Usman Aliyu, confirmed the attack but said the figure of the casualty was 20 people.
A 24-hour curfew had been imposed in the area after youths mounted road blocks and burnt vehicles on Kafanchan-Kagoro road, in retaliation of the saturday attack.
Interim Chairman of Jema’a Local Government, Dr. Bege Katuka told journalists the curfew would remain in force until nomalcy return to the area.
“We have received reports that youths had barricaded Kafanchan-Kagoro road along Garaje area and have burnt cars belonging to innocent persons,’’ he said.
Katuka who called for calm explained that the gunmen attacked the village and shot at innocent persons, but were repelled by Joint Military Task Force deployed to the area..
