Saminaka violence: Tension mounts after release of 2 murder suspects

Saminaka violence: Tension mounts after release of 2 murder suspects

By Alex Uangbaoje

SAMINAKA – There is palpable fresh tension in parts of Saminaka, Headquarters of Lere Local Government Area, LGA of Kaduna State  after 13th April,  post-2015 gubernatorial election violence in the deeply divided town left 6 people officially death, many more injured and property worth millions destroyed. The violence, according to the Police, was sparked when some youths arrived  Abadawa ward celebrating the victory of  the APC, at last gubernatorial elections.
Native Saminaka youths from Abadawa  suburb of the town, said the release of two Hausa youths from Hayin Gada area of the town, who had been arrested and charged to Kaduna for the violence have been released and were boasting about their immunity, thus invoking anger in the community.

The suspects are: Isma’il Isiyaka and Kaura Goje.
The  Hausa Community Youth leader of Hayin Gada, Idris Sarkin Samari  who spoke to Newsweb Express in Saminaka yesterday said he was not sure about the reason for their release.

He however agreed  that unruly youths from and around his community did arrived Abadawa on the 13th April, 2015  and a few chanted insulting messages and later attacked the Palace of the District Head of Abadawa after which a series of events led to a broader violence.

“But these are irresponsible youths, because we the serious ones were busy with other engagements for our daily survival”, he said.

The Youth leader of Abadawa, Zackius   Ibrahim, on his part told Newsweb Express in Saminaka yesterday,  that the Police arrested 11 youths from Abadawa and took them to the Saminka Police station over allegation of damaging a vehicle belonging to the Wazirin Abadawa, Ibrahim Abdullahi, but later released them on bail.
Said Ibrahim:  “”This is just to justify the release of the two suspects arrested for murder and destruction of property.

“There is absence of justice here, and we are not happy. This development does not guarantee our security in the future, because the siege on our areas by the Hausa youths has become too frequent”.

Kaduna State Police Spokesman ASP Zubairu Abubakar,  when contacted said: “ Some PDP youths came to Abadawa on the 13th of April from another area to celebrate the victory of their party and trouble started. Some people were killed and some injured. We arrested the two suspect you are talking about and we are investigating them for conspiracy to commit  murder and grievous injuries to others among other things.  And  we are getting their cooperation along with their traditional rulers to arrest more suspects.

These two could not have carried out that violence alone. I am not sure if they have been released. But I will find that out”, he said.
An  elderly man in Saminaka, who spoke to Newsweb Express on condition of anonymity, said: “There is true tension mixed with anger and frustration in the indigenes’ areas of Saminaka, and the slightest provocation from the Hausa side may spark a problem that may spread over the state.

“These people are not worried about  how they have been neglected in terms of development on their ancestral lands over the years,  but are tired of being attacked and killed after every election since 1999.
They always vote in opposite sides with the Hausa”, he said.

Abadawa ward is predominantly filled with supporters of the People Democratic Party, PDP, while the Hausa areas of Saminaka, are mainly of the All Progressive Change, APC.
A memo  in the hand of Newsweb Express written in the official letter headed paper of the District Head of Abadawa, Alh. Dahiru Abubakar signed by him  and copied to all military and security heads in Kaduna state can be summarised as thus.

Violence broke out from the 13th of April, by Hausa youths who had come to his domain ostensibly to celebrate the victory of the APC in the last gubernatorial elections, but ended up damaging part of his palace. According to him series of provocative actions and abuses by the youths culminated in a wider violence the next day.

The following were the  names and identity of those killed,  Habila Daniel, Danlami Gaba all  of the  Kurama tribe in Lere LGA. Others are: Michael Timothy, a Jere native; Yusuf Usman, a Hausa man; Stephen Galadima, a Kanikon man and one Joshua Akpama, an Igala from Kogi  state and a final year student of Economics with the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria.

“The government/authority concerned should ensure that all the perpetrators of such evils are punished according to the rule of law, this will serve as a food-for-thought to other youths with same behaviour”, he advised in the memo.

Newsweb

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