Gunmen in military uniform kill three, 100 cows in Kaduna

Residents in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State are in shock after men in military uniform stormed the Sabon Birnin Daji Cattle Market and opened fire, killing three persons and over 100 cows.

Eyewitnesses claimed the suspected soldiers stormed the market, opening fire on the cattle market, resulting in the deaths of at least three people as traders scrambled for safety.

According to a  local, Mallam Shehu Sabon Birni, who spoke to our correspondent, “the dead animals are scattered in the market, causing an offensive odour, making life unpleasant.”

“It was a horrific scene when the soldiers arrived at the market, some of them on motorcycles, and started shooting the animals. Two people were killed in the chaos,”  Birni said.

“Now, over 100 dead cows are scattered throughout the market, and the nearby houses are overwhelmed by the stench. We are still unsure why the soldiers took such drastic action,” he added.

Islamic scholar,  Dr. Ahmad Gumi, in a video on his Facebook handle,  commented on the incident, stating: “Banditry has a cause. And this is part of it. Two wrongs don’t make a right, especially when committed by those entrusted with our protection.”

However, reacting in a statement on Thursday, the Army’s Director of Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the  Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, had ordered a probe of the incident to establish the immediate and remote causes and uncover those responsible.

Nwachukwu said, “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a disturbing news report with gory pictures/video footages published in some mainstream and social media platforms alleging that troops of 1 Division annihilated three persons and some cattle during a recent operation at Sabon Birni in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

“While the Nigerian Army wishes to sympathise with the Sabon Birni community and families of the affected persons, we also wish to state that the allegation will be thoroughly investigated and any personnel found culpable will be appropriately sanctioned.

“It is also necessary to add that the NA, which is constitutionally mandated to protect the lives and property of the citizenry, can not tolerate doing otherwise.

“Accordingly, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has directed a thorough investigation into the incident with a view to establishing the immediate and remote causes of the incident and unraveling those behind it.

“We, therefore, appeal for calm and assure the general public that the outcome of the investigation will also be made public.”

The PUNCH reports that in May, the Nigerian Army said it took into custody some soldiers who were accused of oppression and illegally seizing 518 cows, 177 sheep and rams belonging to the Fulani Waziri family of Rafin Sarki village in Fatika District.

This was in response to a petition by the Fulani Waziri family in the Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, who urged the Nigerian Army authorities to order the detachment of soldiers deployed to Fatika to return their animals and henceforth stop selling their farmlands.

They also called for a full investigation into the activities of the soldiers in the community, whom they accused of killing 12 members of the family without provocation.

The family listed those allegedly killed by the soldiers as: Nura Abdussalam, Adamu Abdulkarim, Yusuf Haruna, Buhari Haruna, Kabiru Haruna, Hussaini Haruna, Zinatu Bello, Haruna Idris, Waziri, Rayyanu Shuaibu, Alhaji Abdulkarim and Salisu Abdulkarim.

Nwachukwu told The PUNCH that the Army received a petition from the aggrieved family and had commenced full investigations into the case.

“Reference your inquiry. The information available to me is that an investigation into the allegation is currently ongoing.

“The personnel involved have been taken into custody and investigation has commenced and we should await the outcome,” Nwachukwu said.