As the wanton killings currently going on around communities in Southern Kaduna has gotten to an alarming stage, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Tuesday, took the bull by the horn by setting up an Adhoc Committee, to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis.
It could be recalled that various communities in Southern Kaduna have been under consistent attacks by Herdsmen since 2011, resulting in deaths, injuries, loss of property and displacements of the locals.
In the recently renewed attacks, no fewer than 808 persons have been reportedly killed in 53 villages across the 4 local government areas in the affected areas, while 57 people were also injured.
In a motion ably sponsored by Senator Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South), the Senate frowned at the spate of killings in Kaduna and other parts of Nigeria and condemned it in strong terms.
While leading the debate on the motion, Senator Danjuma La’ah said, “on the 23rd December, 2016 and even as we speak, communities of Ambam, Gaska, Dangoma, Tsonje, Pasankori, Gidan Waya and Farin Gada of Jama’a and Kaura local government area have been under serious attack by the herdsmen, resulting in several deaths, injuries, and wanton destruction of properties worth billions of naira”.
According to Senator La’ah, “the deliberate systematic killings demand the awakening of Nigerians across the country to avoid a repeat of what happened in Darfur Region of Sudan”.
The Senate also acknowledged that within the last 12 months, Nigeria has “witnessed a harvest of killings by the Marauding Herdsmen with several cases of massacre in Agatu in Benue State, Uzo Uwani in Enugu State, with several attacks in Taraba, Delta and Edo States, to mention but a few.”
In his ruling, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki called on the federal government and security agencies to live up to expectation in the war raven zone.
The Adhoc Committee, which shall be appointed at a later hour, is to submit its report to the Senate within 4 weeks.