By Philip Yatai

The Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA), Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State has accused the Sector Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Brig.-Gen. Timothy Opurum of comprise and called for his removal.

The President of the association, Mr Samuel Achi, made the call in Samaru on Monday, during a World Press Conference over the persistent attacks and killings in Atyap land in the LGA.

Achi said that Atyap land has dominated the headlines for the wrong reasons following renewed attacks in Ungwan Wakili, Lagson, Atakjei and Runji.

He alleged that 70 people have been killed, including a five-year old boy who was beheaded, adding that about 20 villages have been displaced while 18 burnt down.

He also said that between 2017 to date, about 518 people have been killed in the area with thousands of victims taking refuge across many communities. 

Achi explained that the press conference was organised to correct the fallacies contained in the First Quarter Security Report, Opurum presented to Gov. Nasir El-Rufai on April 19.

According to Achi, the report is “biased” in favour of the criminal elements killing people in Atyap communities. 

The Sector Commander while presenting the report accused the Atyap people of killing the Fulani people and their cows.

He added that the intolerance of the Atyap people to the Fulanis and the poisoning and killings of about 70 cows was responsible for the wanton killings in the area.

Achi described the allegations as “total fallacy”, skewed to blame the victims, stressing that the military personnel drafted to provide security in the area were not helping matters. 

“Instead of performing their primary assignment of securing of all lives and properties in the area, they are selective by taking side with the killers. 

“This is evident in the 2023 First Quarter Security Report presented by Opurum to the Kaduna State Government on the recent killings in Atyap land,” he said. 

He accused the Sector Commander of presenting an unbalanced and lopsided report that were far from the facts.

He argued that besides accusing the Atyap people for fueling the attacks by killing Fulani cows, the commander also accused the traditional leaders of failing to prevent the crises.

The president said that Opurum, in his report, deliberately refused to acknowledge the contributions of the Atyap Traditional Council and other community leaders toward maintaining peace in the Chiefdom. 

“The Sector Commander alleged that the poisoning of over 70 cows was responsible for the renewed attacks, killing and burning of Atyap and their properties by the killers. 

“This came to us as a surprise because he knows of a standing agreement in Atyap land that any proven case of cow poisoning against any community, such community shall be responsible for replacing such cows. 

“In the same coin the owner of any cows that destroys any farm shall bear full responsibility for such destruction. 

“With this agreement, it was mischievous for the commander to justify the murder, killing and burning of innocent and armless Atyap women, children, men and their properties,” he said. 

The president alleged that the systematic attacks, killings and burning going on in the land were aimed at taking over their land, adding that the people shall resist with the last drop of their blood.

He called for the apprehension and prosecution of the criminals killing people in the area without recourse to extant laws. 

“We call on our people to exercise their natural, fundamental and constitutional right of self defence against any further unprovoked attacks. Enough is enough.

“We also want to make it very clear that henceforth any attack on any of our communities will attrack a total no go area for rearing cows,” he said. 

On his part, the Chairman of the Council, Mr Francis Sani, called on the state and federal government including the international community to come to the aid of his people and end the killings. 

Sani pointed out that without peace, no community would develop.