Villagers at Sabon Birnin Daji in Igabi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State have accused soldiers of killing three persons and over 100 cows at a weekly cattle market on Sunday.
Some of the villagers who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday demanded compensation. This is just as the Nigerian Army has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. Reports had said the incident occurred when villagers were engaged in buying and selling at the weekly cattle market.
Witnesses alleged that some persons in army uniform, suspected to be soldiers, opened fire on the cattle, leaving three persons, as well as about 100 of the animals dead. A video on social media showed the animals scattered across the market along with the three bodies, while some villagers looked on.
A resident, Shehu Sabon Birni, said some of the soldiers involved rode on motorcycles to the location. “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.
“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 said.
Dr Ahmad Gumi, who shared the video on his verified Facebook page, said: “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”.
Residents Demand Compensation
Shamsudeen Sabon Birni, an orange seller at the market, said over 140 cows were killed and over N50 million worth of goods destroyed.
“I was at the market around 2:30pm (on Sunday) when the soldiers arrived. They went straight to meet with the Sarkin Pawa, who was in charge of the market. Before we knew what was happening, they started beating him up before he was shot dead,” the eyewitness recounted.
Shamsudeen described the uniformed men’s actions as indiscriminate, saying they forced traders to lie down before opening fire on the animals and damaging their goods. “We deserve compensation if they are going to pay us,” he said.
Another resident, Usman Sabon Birni, called for compensation for the families of the deceased and the traders who suffered losses. “The Sarkin Pawa, Shitu Kaura was killed at close range. He left behind three wives and 10 children.
His body was packed inside a sack and buried because the body was mutilated after being left outside for days. This is why we want the authorities to pay compensation to those killed, including those whose cows were killed on that Sunday,” he said.
It was gathered that two other people who went to the village searching for their cows were among those killed. Youths in the village were said to have burnt the dead animals and threw some into a nearby river because of the stench.
Army Chief Orders Investigation
The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement yesterday, said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, had directed that the incident be thoroughly investigated.
Nwachukwu noted that the probe was with a view to establishing the immediate and remote causes of the incident, and unraveling those behind it. He said the army sympathises with Sabon Birni community and the families of the affected persons. He said the allegation would be thoroughly investigated and that any personnel found culpable would be appropriately sanctioned.
“It is also necessary to add that the Nigerian Army, which is constitutionally mandated to protect lives and property of the citizenry, cannot tolerate doing otherwise,” he said.
“We, therefore, appeal for calm and assure the general public that the outcome of the investigation will also be made public,” Nwachukwu added.
The spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for response as his mobile phone line was unavailable.
Amnesty Int’l, HURIWA Demand Independent, Open Probe
Speaking to Daily Trust on the incident, Isa Sanusi, Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, said while carrying out security operations, the army must abide by human rights standards in line with international laws.
“While it is good that the army announced that it will launch an investigation, but that is not enough. It is difficult to trust that the Nigerian Army can investigate itself; as in the past, such investigations did not lead to justice for victims and their families.
“The investigation must be open, impartial and transparent. The Nigerian Army must not cover up this atrocity and must ensure that soldiers suspected of responsibility for these killings are brought to justice in fair trials,” he said.
Sanusi said that the Nigerian military must change its ways and stop “incessant violations for which, at the end, no one is held to account.”
Similarly, National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, in an interview with Daily Trust, decried that there had been too many extrajudicial killing of citizens, “and these incidents do go on without the killers in military uniform facing charges for mass murders.
“These extra-legal executions of citizens are absolutely reprehensible, despicable and primitive. The military authority can’t have credible investigative process when their operatives kill Nigerians. Let there be an independent commission of investigators to independently probe these latest killings by the military,” Onwubiko said.
