By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has opened the lid on fresh happenings in the once blood-soaked region, saying no fewer than 14 persons have been killed and 30 kidnapped from 23-31 October 2025.
The group, which was reviewing latest developments in their homeland, however, said the situation was worse under the administration of former State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai (2015-2023).
Apparently speaking against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s push to invade Nigeria and rout Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in the far North and Middle Belt, accused of genocide on Christians, SOKAPU questioned the traditional official explanation that clashes involving the terrorists were farmers/herders’ confrontations.
The group took the position in a statement signed by its National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato and made available to journalists in Kaduna late on Saturday.
The statement, dated 8 November, 2025, is entitled: ‘Mitigating Insecurity In Southern Kaduna’.
It read, in part: “Since 23rd to 31st of October, 2025 no fewer than 14 to 30 people were reportedly killed and kidnapped respectively.
“It is instructive to recall that farmers and herders are traditional partners in trade with symbiotic relationship. The presently coined farmers/herders’ clashes are stage-managed incidences other than the real situations they appear to be.
“This is so because cattles are domestic animals that understand physical gestures and voice sounds of the herdsmen, and they take their direction from the gestures and/or voice sounds of the herdsmen.
“It can be proven that cows do freely graze on their own without violating farm boundaries.
The cattles don’t of their own instincts stray into farms and ravage them, unless they are directed by the herdsmen to do so.
“Therefore the well publicized theory by the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai that ‘Fulani don’t forgive and don’t forget’ as his justification for the so-called ‘farmers/herders’ clash’ is not true, save for himself as a person. There is nothing to show that the theory is indeed the behavioural traits of the Fulani as a people.
“It is only for deliberate provocation that herdsmen drive their cattle to ravage farms, which they cannot do without the directive of the cattle owners. Farmers are not enemies of herdsmen! Both of them have no basis to be rivals either.
“Farms are stationary while cattle move about. Wherever the farm is ravaged by cattle, the cattle owners must be the aggressors!
Most of the owners of these cattle are elites and people of power and influence living in big towns and cities, among whom some are politicians and top government personalities in or out of power.
“They indirectly use these cattle to provoke crisis and take advantage of the crisis to scheme/bargain for power or perks of power.
“The currently escalating incidences of farmers/herders’ clashes are not unconnected with these elite owners of cattles who are gaming for power or perks of power or both.
“Meanwhile, the general public should be wary that certain power mongers in sworn opposition to the present Kaduna State and Federal Governments, hiding under the fallacious theory of Fulani vengeance, may be using the so-called farmers/herders’ clash to instigate crisis in order to strike a power bargain, at the expense of the good and well being of citizens of Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.”
Further X-raying the vexed development, Kato stated: “Another worrisome dimension to these attacks are the reports of issuance of threats of further attacks on the already traumatized communities.
“The import of the continuing attacks in various communities, is the need for the Kaduna State and Federal Governments to focus on identifying owners of cattle involved in ravaging of any farm, uncover their partisanship and bring them to justice.
“Equally important is the need to ensure that the standing shoot at sight order on any attacker of people or properties, issued by the former CDS Gen. C.G. Musa (rtd.) remains in force.
“Otherwise, the same people will continue to hide under cover of the so-called farmers/herders’ clashes, and continue to use it to erode the governments’ successes in mitigating insecurity and ultimately destroy the credibility of the good governance His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani and His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are committed to bequeath to the good people of Kaduna State and Nigeria in general respectively.
“The Kaduna State government should make arrangements for intervention on the imminent food shortages that stare the people of Kabara and the neighborhood in their faces, take deliberate steps to secure release of those kidnapped in various locations and mitigate the sufferings of members of the affected communities.
“Much as we shall continue to demand good governance, we have obligation to appreciate efforts of the government and encourage them to do more good.
“Thus far, His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani and His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserve our continued support and encouragement in terms of improvements on security.”
SOKAPU raised the alarm on rising attacks on its people in recent months, and called for fast, official actions to stem the growing trend.
“Ironically, in the last few months we began to notice rising pockets of attacks in some communities across towns and Local Government Areas of Southern Kaduna, such as Ungwar Rimi, Chawai, Kamaru; Wikeh, Gadanaji, Awon, Kabara, Rumaya, Farin Dutse, Damakasuwa, Tsam and their neighborhood, etc with scores of people killed and others kidnapped.
“Earlier, there was a deliberate destruction of farm plants/crops at Kabara neighborhood on 07/10/25, Kagarko Local Government Area; one day after the people’s protest of 6th October 2025 to palace of His Highness, the Ere Koro; to press home their frustrations from incessant attacks meted on Kabara village and neighboring communities by herdsmen, and the need for greater attention of the governments.
“With the widespread destruction of plants at the verge of their harvest and storage food barns, food scarcity looms in the affected communities, unless the Kaduna State government intervenes to mitigate their predicaments”, it emphasized.
