04 NIG 12 – 04-10-18 Kaduna

segment horizontal du quadrillage = 225 km

Fresh Tension in Kaduna

Daily Champion ( Lagos )
NEWS
October 19, 2004
Posted to the web October 19, 2004

By John Shiklam
Kaduna

FRESH tension gripped Kaduna yesterday as residents of Tudun Wada section of the metropolis clashed with police even as reports spoke of the burning of a police station.

Heavily armed soldiers have consequently been drafted to the area to keep the peace just as Gov. Ahmed Makarfi has set up a panle to probe the incident.

The Central Market and shops in the area were hurriedly closed as many people scampered for safety when the clash broke out.

Details of the clash were scantly as at press time but there were three discernible accounts of what could have triggered the incident, which, however, did not claim any life.

One account has it that some people in Tudun Wada were planning to avenge the death of the 12-year-old, Sani Idris, allegedly killed by police on the first day (penultimate Monday) of last week's nationwide strike over fuel price hike.

A second version claimed that some residents saw policemen secretly burning 17 corpses in a mass grave in a cemetery in the area.

According to this version, the police on noticing that they had been spotted, allegedly fled without properly burying the corpses.

The account also claimed that with the police gone, a woman who went to the spot, identified her husband's corpse just as two commercial motorcyclists (okada) also identified two of their members thought missing.

The alleged development reportedly sparked off anger among restive youths who went on rampage attacking every available cop.

Unconfirmed reports said a police station was torched in the process.

A last version of the cause of the clash alleged that some policemen had tried to burry a suspected armed robber in a Muslim cemetery along Buchama road, triggering fierce opposition by the mainly Muslim populace of the area who allegedly attacked policemen.

Armed soldiers have already been drafted to the area to maintain law and order and to ensure that the problem does not escalate.

Reacting to the incident, the Kaduna state police command in a statement, denied killing innocent persons and burying them hurriedly at the Tudun Wada area.

The statement signed by the Command's Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Saad Yahaya maintained that there is no iota of truth in the rumours.

"There is no iota of truth in the story. The command in its day-to-day operations encounter armed bandits in gun battles some of which occasionally result in casualties on both the part of the police and the robbers.

"Furthermore, police do not engage in the burying of dead rubbers. This is the sole responsibility of Mortuary/local government personnel which is done from time to time. The incident this yesterday morning may not be unconnected with such exercise", the statement maintained.

Kaduna has been a hot bed of ethro-religious violence and jittery residents flee as soon as reports filter in of such incident.

Govt deploys troops in Kaduna *Gov Makarfi sets up probe panel over crisis

By Emeka Mamah

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

KADUNA—SOLDIERS and anti-riot policemen were, yesterday, deployed in the Tudun Wada area of Kaduna following a stampede triggered by a report that 17 people arrested during last week’s nationwide strike had been shot in police custody and given a mass burial.

The police in a swift reaction to the report dismissed it as untrue, while Governor Ahmed Makarfi in a radio and television broadcast instituted a seven-man probe panel into the allegation.

The stampede started at Tudun Wada area of Kaduna metropolis at about 9a.m when some youths alleged that they saw people in police uniform burying corpses in the Muslim cemetery. The youths claimed to have identified some of the dead bodies to be their relations and went on the rampage. Within minutes, the Kaduna Central market was closed while shops and stores were hurriedly locked up by their owners as people ran helter-skelter for their lives. Other sources said the police killed robbery suspects and buried the corpses at the Muslim cemetery and youths noticed it and started destroying property.

However, there had been an uneasy calm at Tudun Wada area since October 11, 2004 when the police killed a 12-year-old secondary school student, Muhammadu Sani Idris, for allegedly taking part in the four-day nationwide strike organised by a coalition of civil society groups and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Late Sani Idris was said to have left school early on the fateful day to attend the naming ceremony of his younger brother when the police bullets felled him. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Assistant Superintendent Saad Yahaya, denying alleged mass burial yesterday said those peddling the rumour were out to smear the image of the police. His words: “The attention of the command has been drawn to a story making the round that the police killed innocent persons and hurriedly buried them in the Tudun Wada area of Kaduna State .

The command wishes to reiterate that the rumour currently being circulated is intended to instigate members of the public against the police, thereby hampering our operations and cause chaos Furthermore, Police do not engage in the burying of dead robbers. This is the sole responsibility of mortuary/local government personnel, which is done from time to time. The incident this morning may not be unconnected with such exercise. Accordingly, all law-abiding citizens of the state are advised to go about their lawful business and discountenance such rumours, please.”

Gov Makarfi sets up panel

Meanwhile, Kaduna State government has set up a seven-man panel to investigate the cause of the stampede which led to several deaths in the state yesterday. The panel which is headed by former Military Governor of the defunct North Western State , Alhaji Usman Farouk, has Mallam Adamu Mohammed Mansur as Secretary. Other members are Mr. Danladi Nyam, Sheik Zubairu Sirajo, Mr. Chukwura Simon and Alhaji Sule Bako.

Governor Makarfi in a radio and television broadcast last night also empowered the committee to investigate the circumstances which led to the killing of 12- year-old Mohammadu Sani Idris by the police during the four-day nationwide strike. Makarfi said yesterday’s crisis was sparked off by the mass burial of suspected armed robbers who died during different gun battles with the police.

Said he: “From what we have gathered so far, even though not conclusive, some people were given a mass burial after which the corpses where said to have been exhumed by people who might have suspected some ulterior motives.

“From the little that is available at this moment, the corpses are said to be those of suspected armed robbers who were said to have engaged the police in gun battles in the various operations that the police have been undertaking.

“Government is, of course, aware that the police have been conducting several operations that include raids to flush out armed robbers from certain crime prone areas and high ways and in the process gun battles ensued, claiming lives on both sides. This is not to say, however, that we have reached a conclusion on this matter.

“People of Kaduna State would also recall that we have always been at the vanguard of being on the side of our people who have unjustly suffered from acts of agents of state security even to the point of demanding for and getting compensation and prosecution. I want to assure you that this too will not be an exception where investigation confirms the innocence of the dead people.

“Government of Kaduna State over which I humbly have the privilege to preside has always been very respectful of the sanctity of human life. This explains why we place a high premium on the security of our people. We, therefore, intend to get to the roots of this issue so that at the end of the day, nobody will be left in any doubt as to what has truly happened. This is why in our quest to dig into this matter with a view to ensuring justice to all, I have constituted a high powered panel of people of proven integrity to investigate the event leading to the deaths of the people and the aftermath.

The terms of reference are: “to ascertain the truth about the entire episode; to identify the corpses and events leading to their deaths and to consider any other factors and make recommendations to government.

“We would also recall the unfortunate incident of last week at the commencement of the NLC strike during which a school boy, Mohammed Sani Idris lost his life. Even though the government has already asked for an investigation into the circumstances of his death, from the police, given the nature and circumstances that have given birth to the committee, I have decided to include investigations into the circumstances leading to Mohammadu Sani Idris’s death as part of this committee’s terms of reference.

“Meanwhile, I send my personal condolences as well the condolences of the government of Kaduna State to the parents and relatives of the deceased. I want to assure you all that government will not fold its arms and watch people take the laws into their hands under whatever guise.

“I have consequently directed all the security agents to intensify patrols and surveillance to ensure that any threat to peace is nipped in the bud. I, therefore,  advise parents  to keep more than an eye on their children and wards to avoid being on the wrong side of the law.

“It is important here to dispel the rumour said to be making the round  that the corpses were those of the people arrested in the wake of last week’s demonstration against the increase in fuel prices. Information at government's disposal has confirmed that all the 30 people arrested in connection with that episode have been granted bail by a court of law presided over by Magistrate Nasiru Lere. So, in other that we get the facts of this matter straight, it is necessary that issues are not mixed up and we shouldn’t allow people with other motives to confuse us in pursuit of their nefarious acts.

“Let me also seize this opportunity to sound a note of warning to commercial motorcyclists who resort to taking the law into their hands at the slightest provocation. Members of the public have been complaining loudly about this propensity for violence. This is totally unacceptable. Government will not allow any group or individual to hold the society to ransom for whatever reason. We will, therefore, not hesitate to apply whatever measure, including banning their operations in any town or even the entire state if they cannot find a way of channeling their grievances.”

Nigeria : Kaduna Checks Identity of 19 Bodies Buried By Police

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
NEWS
October 19, 2004
Posted to the web October 19, 2004
Kano

The authorities in Kaduna State in northern Nigeria have launched a probe to determine the identities of 19 corpses buried by police in a mass grave following allegations that they were protestors killed during last week's general strike.

Troops and armed police were called out to patrols the streets of Kaduna on Monday to restore order after riots erupted in Kadun's Tudun Wada district, where the corpses were discovered in a mass grave in the local cemetery.

Police said the bodies belonged to armed robbers who had been killed in recent gun battles.

But local residents who exhumed the bodies said they recognised among them relations who had been arrested by the police during street protests that accompanied the four-day general strike.

The 11 to 14 October stoppage was called by Nigeria 's main trade union movement to demand the reversal of a 25 percent increase in fuel prices.

"It is important here to dispel the rumour said to be making the rounds that the corpses were those of the people arrested in the wake of last week's demonstration against the increase in fuel prices," Kaduna governor Ahmed Makarfi said in a radio and television broadcast.

Makarfi supported police claims that the corpses belonged to armed robbers shot dead during clashes with the police.

The governor said more than 30 people who were arrested by the police last week had been charged in court and released on bail.

However, "to ascertain the truth about the entire episode" a special panel has been appointed to identify the corpses and the circumstances of their death, Makarfi said.

Only one person was confirmed killed in Kaduna during last week's general strike, 12-year-old Sani Idris. The boy's parents and eye-witnesses said he was shot dead by the police during clashes with protesters.

On Tuesday heavily armed anti-riot police were still patrolling the tense streets of Kaduna to prevent any further eruption of unrest.

Kaduna , which has a mixed population of Muslims and Christians, has been a volatile city since sectarian clashes broke out there in 2000 over proposals to introduce strict Islamic Shari'ah law in Kaduna state.

More than 2,000 people were killed in the outbreak of violence.

Normalcy Returns to Kaduna

Vanguard ( Lagos )
NEWS
October 20, 2004
Posted to the web October 20, 2004

By Emeka Mamah
Kaduna

Normalcy has now returned to kaduna state after Monday's crisis following rumours that the police in the state had executed 19 people out of those arrested over their alleged participation in last week's nation-wide strike over increase petroleum prices and buried them in a mass grave. Following the rumour which started after some policemen and health officials were seen burning 19 corpses of suspected armed robbers at the Tudun Wada cemetary on Sunday night, there was stampede as irate youths took to the streets to demonstrate against "killings of innocent citizens".

The protesters also exhumed the dead bodies claiming that they had identified some of them as their relations. But as the news of the riot spread, residents ran helter-skelter as markets and shops were hurriedly closed following fears that another religious riot had broken out. The repeated denial by the state police command that those arrested during the strike had been charged to court where they were granted bail did not assuage the feelings of the rioters until soldiers and anti-riot policemen were deployed to strategic areas of the metropolis to bring the situation under control. In a radio and television broadcast to the people later in the evening, the state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi said that mass burial was organised for suspected armed robbers who were killed in various operations where there were exchanges of fire between the hoodlums and law enforcement agents.

Makarfi also set up a seven-man committee headed by the former military governor of the defunct North Western State , Alhaji Usman Farouk to unravel the truth behind the mass burial. The Governor also empowered the Committee to look into the circumstances which led to the killing of a 12-year old secondary school student, Muhammadu Sani Idris by the police on Monday, October 11,2004 when the last nation-wide strike took off.

"From what we have gathered so far, even though not conclusive, some people were given a mass burial after which the corpses were said to have been exhumed by people who might have suspected some ulterior motive. "From the little that is available at this moment, the corpses are said to be those of suspected armed robbers who were said to have engaged the police in gun battles in the various operations that the police have been undertaking. "Government is of course aware that the police have been conducting several operations that include raids to flush out armed robbers from certain crime prone areas and highways and in the process gun battles ensue claiming lives on both sides.

Kaduna Now Calm

Daily Champion ( Lagos )
NEWS
October 20, 2004
Posted to the web October 20, 2004

By John Shiklam
Kaduna

CALM yesterday returned to Tudun Wada section of Kaduna metropolis 24 hours after a clash between police and civilians in the area sent many residents scampering for safety to other parts of the town.

Daily Champion checks in the area showed that shops, shut during the crisis, opened for business just as people went about their normal activities again.

However, heavy security presence was noticed, with combined patrols of mobile police and soldiers spotted literally in every part of the area.

Varying accounts of the cause of the crisis held sway on Monday but Gov. Ahmed Makarfi has since raised a committee to ascertain the identities of 19 persons allegedly killed by the police and buried in the area.

An account had it that the killings sparked off the clash.

The police is yet to disclose whether any arrest was made during the crisis.

All efforts to speak with the state police commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Yesufu, were unsuccessful as he was said to be at a crucial meeting all the while.

The Command's Public Relations Officer (PPRRO), Sa'ad Yahaya, a deputy superintendent (DSP) could not be immediately reached, but a senior police officer said no arrest was made because of the security situation on the ground.

"If arrests were made, it would have aggravated the situation of things, We were conscious of the security situation but I assure you arrests would be made as investigations may warrant" the police officer stated.

He also disclosed that the police has adopted measures to ensure that law and order are maintained in Tudun Wada and that no policeman is molested or attacked.

Govt Introduces Joint Police, Army Patrol
kaduna
From Agaju Madugba in Kaduna

Kaduna State government has introduced, joint patrol of armed soldiers and police in Kaduna metropolis, following Monday's riots at Tudun Wada.

Peace has gradually returned to the town after the riots, triggered off by the mass burial of unidentified corpses at the Tundun Wada cemetery, by the police.

At the trouble spots in the Tundun Wada suburb, residents went about their businesses though under the watchful eyes of security agents.

Elsewhere in the town, security personnel took over strategic positions at most of the city's roundabouts, apart from others who kept a sustained patrol of the streets.

Commercial activities equally resumed at some areas that were deserted at the height of the distrurbances, including the central market, Lagos Street , Ibrahim Taiwo Street , Ahmadu Bello Way and environs.

State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, in a radio and television broadcast had announced the constitution of a panel to probe the riots.

But faulting membership of the panel, among other issues, the Kaduna Muslim Youth Association in a press statement yesterday announced its rejection of the panel, adding that Muslims would not accept its report and recommendations.

According to the statement signed by the group's Chairman, Major Abubakar Umat Umar (rtd), "we wish to inform the executive governor that the committee he set up is unacceptable and we call for a non-partisan committee, not connected to government patronage.

"That in the absence of justice and fair play, we shall henceforth call on Muslims everywhere to resist any kind of intimidation.

"That if government does not carry out proper investigation and prosecution of the involved police personnel, we shall have no other option but to protect our Muslim brothers".

Makarfi Wants Kaduna Mystery Burial Unravelled

Daily Champion ( Lagos )
NEWS
October 21, 2004
Posted to the web October 21, 2004

By John Shiklam
Kaduna

GOVERNOR Ahmed Makarfi of Kaduna State yesterday instructed a seven-man committee to probe last Monday's police/civilian clash in Tudun Wada area of Kaduna metropolis to unravel the puzzle of mystery burials which provoked the incident.

Governor Ahmed Makarfi, who inaugurated the committee, charged the members to identify the corpses which have been deposited at the Army Reference Hospital mortuary within three days and bury them immediately.

The issue of the corpses was central to the clash as residents of Tudun Wada accused and attacked the police of killing and burying 17 persons arrested during last week's nationwide strike over fuel price hike.

Makarfi also said the committee is to establish if the corpses were of those arrested during the strike as well as determine those responsible for the deaths.

The committee was further charged to determine the cause of the death of a 12-year-old boy, Mohammed Sani Idris, who was allegedly shot dead at the commencement of the strike.

Makarfi disclosed that contrary to reports that 19 corpses were exhumed, information available to government showed that only 10 corpses were retrieved by the Army, adding that the corpses have been deposited at the Army Reference Hospital mortuary.

The governor said that the incident that occurred on Monday had the capacity to destabilise the state.

He said the government had to act promptly in order to ensure that gains that have been made in terms of peaceful coexistence among the people were not reversed.

The governor assured that the government will do everything to ensure that justice is done.

"I want to assure all and sundry that we will remain steadfast on this course within the law, as it is my belief that the pursuit and protection of the rights of our people are a part of the trust that they have reposed on us.

"It is therefore in the pursuit of this and in our quest that things are done properly, that we decided to set up this committee to dig into the issue at hand with a view to, among others, ascertain the true situation and recommending measures to avert future occurrences including disciplinary measures where applicable," he stated.

Makarfi said the panel has full legal powers to summon anybody because of the state government's lack of jurisdiction over the police who are central to the issue, adding that the findings of the panel will be forwarded to the Federal Government which could set up a judicial commission with more far reaching powers.

He said the committee has been given two weeks within which to submit its report.

The governor thanked the people of Tudun Wada area, the religious community traditional leaders and the youths for the maturity they exhibited in handling the situation.