Urgent and horrific news is coming out of Southern Kaduna, as the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) expresses its deep worry over the persistent attacks and killings in Atyapland. The Nigerian government is complicit in these heinous acts, which have led to the death of countless people, including innocent women and children.
The ACDA president, Samuel Achi, spoke out about the atrocities committed by suspected killer herdsmen who have been allowed to run rampant in the area, displacing communities and taking over their lands. This has been going on for years, with defenceless communities suffering selective killings since 2017. Recently, the attacks have intensified, with 70 people killed, including a five-year-old boy who was beheaded.
But it’s not just the attackers who are to blame. The military personnel drafted to provide security in the area are also complicit, taking sides with the suspected herdsmen instead of performing their primary duty of securing the lives and property of the communities.
To make matters worse, the recent security report presented by the sector commander of Operation Safe Haven in the area was deliberately doctored, giving an unbalanced, lopsided report that failed to highlight the contributions of the traditional council in Atyap land towards maintaining peace in the chiefdom.
