Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, Tuesday, said the death toll in Kajuru Local Government Area of state has risen from 66 to 130.
The governor also said he had applied for the presence of armed security men to be deployed to flash points in the state to ensure adequate security in the forthcoming elections.
Meantime, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Abdulrahman, has said 11 persons have been arrested for the killings in Kujuru and will be arraigned in court on Wednesday.
These came as Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has called on el-Rufai to stop inciting ethnic violence and seek support for elections on the basis of programmes and not playing Kaduna people against themselves.
Governor el-Rufai who briefed State House correspondents after a security meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, said the latest figure of 130 death in the Kujuru was contained in a report provided through an on-going investigation by Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
El-Rufai, who was joined by Governors Mohammed Bindo of Adamawa State, Kashim Shettima of Borno State and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, said Fulani leaders had indicated interest to provide the full list of those killed in the attack to the government.
According to him, “Now, what we are hearing, the last report we got is that, over 130 people were killed not even 66. And the Fulani leaders are providing the names of all these people, we have the list and we will release it to the press.
“I don’t want to be groused but we can release pictures of the people killed and how the army had to be there to help bury them two days after they were killed because the bodies were decomposing, but some people are being irresponsible, they are pretending this has not happened because it does not fit their ethnic or partisan narrative. It is totally irresponsible because this can happen to anyone of us.”
“In Kaduna State, we requested for enhanced military presence in particular locations that are either affected by rural banditry. These are the local government of Birnin-Gwari/Giwa Angchukwu and areas where there has been history of either electoral violence or ethno-religious intolerance.
“We have already mapped out local arrangements with the garrison commander and the commissioner of police and we have made adequate arrangements to ensure that every citizen of Kaduna State will be free to vote in an atmosphere of peace and security.”
Security meeting
El-Rufai also explained that yesterday’s meeting between the President and heads of security agencies was primarily focused on the states that have higher than average security challenges than others, adding that four state governors were invited, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and Kaduna.
He said North-East states were discussed because of the history of Boko Haram insurgency, while Kaduna State was as a result of the recent crisis affecting parts of the state.
He said:“The governor of Borno State submitted a comprehensive brief on the situation in Borno and Yobe states for which he is very familiar, having been on the seat for eight years.
The governor of Adamawa State presented a situation report regarding Adamawa and I submitted a briefing based on what has been happening in Kaduna State in the last few weeks and months.
“We noted the significant improvement in the security situation across our states in spite of the challenges and thank the Federal Government for making available the security assets to the states any time we needed them which has led to some level of stability of the situation.
Stop inciting ethnic violence, Southern, M-Belt Forum tells el-Rufai
Meanwhile, Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has called on el-Rufai to stop inciting ethnic violence and seek support for elections on the basis of programmes and not playing Kaduna people against themselves.
In a release signed by Yinka Odumakin (South-West), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South- South), Prof Chigozie Ogbu (South-East) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), Tuesday, the forum said:
“It is the tragedy of the failure of leadership in Nigeria today that there is nobody to call the man who now appears much more dangerous than Shekau to order as he makes reckless and dangerous utterances.
“Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has watched with keen interest recent attempt by the governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir el-Rufai, to foment ethnic crisis in his state on the eve of the botched February16 presidential election.
The governor had claimed the reprisal killing of 66 Fulani people in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state with fanfare but has yet to show evidence of deaths as we write this.
“The glee with which the Governor went on air on Friday, February 15, 2019 alleging the killings was shocking for the chief executive of a state.
“The governor claimed that the incident happened on the eve of the election. But the truth by the community concerned is that the incident took place between Sunday, February 10 and Tuesday, February 12, 2019 in Ungwar Barde in Kufana District, where 11 innocent Adara people were killed by suspected herdsmen without any provocation.
“We view it as the highest level of irresponsibility for a governor to be inciting ethnic passion the way el-Rufai has done except he can produce the bodies of his alleged ‘reprisal killings.
“We call on el-Rufai to stop inciting ethnic violence and seek support for elections on the basis of programmes and not playing Kaduna people against themselves.”
