Three community leaders have been missing for over a week following an attack in Southern Kaduna‘s Zangon Kataf area, a development that came atop a series of violent events that have claimed multiple lives and provoked fears since February.
PREMIUM TIMES‘ findings, based on disclosures by official and community sources, revealed that a Fulani delegation had, on Sunday, March 21, visited the Gora District of Atyap (Kataf) Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf, to pay compensation to secure the release of their cattle, which had destroyed crops – a typically common occurrence in Nigeria’s outdated open grazing system.
On their return to Zonkwa, also in Zangon Kataf, in a car driven and owned by an Atyap local leader, Ayuba Bungon, they were apparently attacked by armed persons. “The car (in which they were travelling) was later found vandalized and empty,” said Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs.
The location of the attack was Masat, an ethnic Bajjul area, said John Bala, the chairman of the Atyap Chiefdom Community Peace and Security Partnership Committee (CPSP), which has been working towards peace and common understanding among the Hausa, Fulani, and Atyap communities.
Three persons were separately found within 24 hours of the attack – Mr Bungon and two Fulani men, namely Yusuf Dauda and Gomma Audu. But three Fulani leaders are still missing, said Mr Aruwan. This information was corroborated by Mr Bala.
“Troops on search-and-rescue missions later that night (on Sunday, March 21) found the secretary, and handed him over safely to the police,” Mr Aruwan said, referring to the secretary to the district head of Gora, Ayuba Bungon, who owns the car that was attacked and found vandalised.
“Moreover, two other leaders, who went missing, were reported to have escaped from their captors on Monday (March 22) and were also found by troops conducting search operations. They were identified as Yusuf Dauda and Gomna Audu.”
The three Fulani leaders, still missing, are identified as Pate Usman Kurmi, the Wakilin Fulani of Atyap Chiefdom; Muhammadu Anchau, an Ardo from Bauchi State; and Yakubu Muhammadu.
Police spokesperson for Kaduna State, Jalige Mohammed, told PREMIUM TIMES the police had deployed cops from two units of the mobile force to join in the search for the missing persons and stop escalations. He said the police had been engaging with the Atyap and Fulani sides “but unfortunately they are not on the same page.”
PREMIUM TIMES understands tensions are high in the area and the authorities fear further attacks may erupt.
“It is unfortunate that the relative peace we have experienced since last year is now threatened,” said Mr Bala. “However, we reckon that peace is a process. When you move forward some factors will drag backward but we’ll keep working.”
An intelligence source deployed to the area told PREMIUM TIMES, “I fear further reprisals, further attacks are imminent.”
But police spokesperson, Mr Mohammed, said, “we are working to nip further attacks in the bud.”
