Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been challenged to produce the bodies of the 66 persons he claimed were killed in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.
Those challenging the governor are: former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu; the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and indigenes of the affected communities.
In an interview, Mr. Odinkalu said the governor lied about the killings, saying the crisis that led to the killing of 11 persons occurred the previous week.
“About 11 people were reportedly killed in Kajuru about on Monday, as a matter of fact, there are still victims of that killing at St. Gerard’s Hospital in Kaduna and the governor was indeed at the hospital on Tuesday to see them.
“When were these killings he talked about happen? No dead body has been seen, no police officer, no SSS and no camera? I challenge any medium in the country and beyond Nigeria, let us go to Kajuru.
“Let the governor join us and let him tell us where he got these bodies from. Let Muyiwa Adekeye and Samuel Aruwan, who are his spokespersons, also join us so we see the bodies. This is too serious for anybody to make.
“I am saying this as a Nigerian who believes in this country, who believes every life matter. This is too serious for a governor to say and get away with it,” the former NHRC boss said.
On his part, the PDP dismissed the claim as fake news created by the All Progressives Party (APC), to cause panic in the state.
A statement by its deputy campaign spokesperson in Kaduna State, Yakubu Lere; the PDP said it has contacted its sources in Kajuru and found nothing of the sort happened.
“We have contacted sources from Kajuru as well as the police headquarters who confirmed to us that the story is not true.
“Please remain calm and get ready with your PVC to vote Atiku Abubakar and all PDP candidates. We call on the police authorities and DSS to track down those disseminating these rumours,” Mr. Lere stated.
In a separate statement by a group in Southern Kaduna had punctured Mr. El-Rufai’s claims of the killings.
The group said the attacked took place on Monday but Mr. El-Rufai suppressed the information from being made public.
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They insisted that Kajuru people were shocked to hear 66 persons were killed in their community because nothing like that happened.
“We recall El-Rufai has once said that Fulanis never forgive and denotes they will go for reprisal no matter how long. If this statement of El-Rufai is to be x-rayed, it will mean that Fulanis will cause trouble in Kajuru to allow for the cancellation of elections in the area or to justify calls for postponement of the elections.
“The government must ensure this is not a strategy to give the Fulanis a reason to harm Kajuru citizens and other people of the state.
Why is it that the people of Kajuru themselves are not aware of any killing? It seems El-Rufai is not the spokesperson of the Fulanis and knows when and where 66 persons were killed,” the group had said.
Governor El-Rufai is not new to controversy as he was in the news last week for threatening that foreign election observers would go back in body bags if they interfered in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Mr. El-Rufai again raised the dust on Friday evening when he claimed that 66 Fulani persons including women and children were murdered in the Southern Kaduna town of Kajuru.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Samuel Aruwan, the governor had confirmed the killings and warned communities against reprisal attacks.
While Mr. El-Rufai failed to state whether the alleged killings were politically motivated, he, however, said security agencies have been deployed to the area and arrests made.
Part of the governor’s statement read, “Security agencies today reported the recovery of 66 bodies that were killed in attacks by criminal elements on various dispersed hamlets in the Maro Gida and Iri axis of Kajuru LGA.
“The settlements affected include Ruga Bahago, Ruga Daku, Ruga Ori, Ruga Haruna, Ruga Yukka Abubakar, Ruga Duni Kadiri, Ruga Shewuka and Ruga Shuaibu Yau.
“Among the victims were 22 children and 12 women. Four wounded persons rescued by the security agencies are now receiving medical attention.
“Government condemns the attacks and commiserates with the families of the victims. Security agencies have been deployed to the area and arrests have been made.
The government urges community, traditional and religious leaders in the area to encourage residents to avoid any reprisal attacks and to leave the matter in the hands of the security and law enforcement agencies. The killings are being investigated and residents are assured that indicted persons will be prosecuted.”
