Leaders Of Fulani Herdsmen Explain Why They Killed 24 In Kaduna Community

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.
-Daily Sun