Fulani cattle herdsmen kill RCCG pastor and two others in southern Kaduna State

FULANI cattle herdsmen have killed one Pastor Luka Ubangari of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and two others near Godogodo in Jema'a Local Government Area of  Kaduna State in what appears to be another act of random violence.

 

Of late, Fulani herdsmen have been involved in a series of violent clashes with local farming communities across Nigeria that has resulted in numerous deaths. I this latest attack, on Sunday night, gunmen apparently attacked Pastor Ubangari whose church is located in the village of Unguwan Anjo, where he was ambushed, shot and killed while on his motorcycle  after an evangelical visit to nearby Golkofa.

 

Apparently, the incident occurred a few days after the state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, visited Godogodo and Sanga districts, in the Jema’a and Sanga local governments areas, all  in the southern part of the  state to appraise the attacks of suspected Fulani herdsmen in the area. While visiting the villages of Gada Biyu, Anjo and Godogodo,  Governor El-Rufai condemned the killings, describing them as senseless, promising to arrest the perpetrators.

 

One local eyewitness said:  “We were happy that Governor Nasir el-Rufai visited and assured us of improved security and that the killers would be found and punished. To our shock, Pastor Luka Ubangari was ambushed, shot and killed as he was riding his motorcycle after an evangelical visit to Golkofa, killed by Fulani men who are out to remove us from our ancestral lands.”

 

Nuhu Tukura, the president of the Ningon Community Development Association, said Ningon was attacked on Sunday night and  two natives, Gambo Sule, 38 and Benjamin Auta, 35, were also killed by gunmen. He added that the police only arrived on Monday morning following a distress call put on to them on Sunday night.

 

Mr Tukura said: “We are seriously troubled by all these happenings, as now, we don’t even know what we can do to have rest. Our farms, we cannot go and our houses we cannot live in. What else shall we do?

 

“We called the police immediately the incident occurred around 8.45pm on Sunday night, but they did not come until around 7.30am on Monday morning. We are pleading with the state government to help us with security and assist us in feeding as most farmers are afraid to go to the farm and there will be food scarcity problem this year and the next.”

 

Kaduna State Police Command spokesman Aliyu Usman, who confirmed the incident, said but for the timely intervention of the police, the casualty figures would have been higher. He added that the police used armoured personnel carriers to chase the armed bandits out of the villages.