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| Fulani |
Even as the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi
Adenaike yesterday debunked allegations that the attack on Dogon Dawa village
where 24 people were killed last Saturday was led by a police officer, leaders
of the Fulani community from the area have claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying it was a reprisal from their members.
The leaders of the Fulani herdsmen who were at the state
police headquarters in Kaduna yesterday claimed responsibility for the Dogon
Dawa attack, explaining that “it was a reprisal for the arrest, humiliation and
killing of our Fulani herdsmen by the vigilance group from the village.”
The Fulani leaders whose names were not given to the press
for security reasons maintained that, “the Fulani people have been accused
severally of committing all kinds of atrocities by the vigilance group,
especially now that Fulani people are returning from long time grazing from
places like Kwara, Niger and Kogi State.
“And in Birnin/Gwari, there have been problems of robbery
and all sort of vices, such as cow theft. It was on that basis that the
community established the vigilance group to ensure crime-free community.
“It is this vigilance group that is now killing our people
who go about their lawful businesses accusing them of robbery.
“The vigilance group of Dogon Dawa indiscriminately kill our
men calling them armed robbers; they also steal our cattles, so our men carried
out a revenge on them,” the leader stated without remorse.
The Fulani leaders who were at the police headquarters to
voluntarily give information of the last Sunday attack, however, stated that it
was attempt of their members to salvage themselves from the “so-called”
vigilance group that led to the reprisal attacks.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi
Adenaike has debunked in the strongest term that, contrary to the report that
one of his officers led the team of the attackers, saying his men rather made
frantic efforts at addressing the situation.
The CP who paraded the Fulani leaders at the police command
whom he said came to voluntarily give vital information on the attack alongside
the accused police officers, further informed that the police had since
commenced thorough investigation on the attack and will definitely fish out the
perpetrators of the dastardly act.
In the same vein, the Police Officer in charge of the
Kuyello Police Outpost, ASP Musa Ashero, who was accused of leading the
attackers spoke to newsmen at the press conference organised by the CP, saying, his job was to protect lives and
property of the citizens and not to lead attackers to take lives of people.
According to him, “I have served the police for about 32
years and about to retire, so why will I engage in an activity that will
tarnish my image and efforts put into the police force for these years?
“When the vigilance group arrested the four alleged armed
robbers, I made efforts to retrieve the men into the police custody so that we
can interrogate them properly. The vigilance group resisted my efforts and
vehemently took them to Dogon Dawa village, when they overpowered our efforts.
“When the attack started on Sunday, I informed the
Divisional Police Officer of the local government (Birnin Gwari), CSP Abu
Birchi Abubakar who immediately called the Mobile police to rush to the scene
but they said they had no fuel in their car, so I personally gave them N2000 to
buy fuel but getting close to the village, they said the firing was too much so
they had to stay back,” he explained.
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