By Luka Binniyat, SOKAPU Spokesman
It has come to the notice of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) of a supposed person, called Rev. Dauda Fadia who claims to be the National Coordinator of a group called Southern Kaduna Peace Practitioners (SOKAPEP)
This Fadia (was) on various media platform yesterday and today disparaging a Press Statement signed by myself on behalf of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) in which we revealed the murder of three of our members in three different locations in Southern Kaduna last week. We identified them by their real names, ages, location and so forth. We also gave out, like we have done many other times, the names of 100 communities of Southern Kaduna captured and occupied by Fulani militia till date. But this Rev. Dauda Fadia came out to say that we lied.
It is worthy to note here that our various checks with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter and direct inquiries from Pastors and Reverends in Southern Kaduna show that there is no such human being existing as “Rev. Dauda Fadia.” We again asked various natives of Fadia community at home and outside Fadia about the said ‘Rev. Dauda Fadia’ and they all said such a person does not and has never existed in Fadia. They said he should produce his surname so that his family can be identified. They are angry that a character like that could be created and his nefarious activities linked to their noble home.
If Rev. Dauda Fadia exists, we challenge him to come out in the open and refute our claims of his being a creation of insidious fiction. Again, SOKAPEF, under which this pseudonym hides to carry out a desperate launder of his creators, does not exist anywhere in Southern Kaduna, talk less of having branches in the state and at the National level, in which the fake Fadia is claiming to be its National Coordinator. We again challenge ‘him’ to produce the office address of (SOKAPEP) and the names of other members of his exco.
It is a shame and an act of cowardly and cruel dereliction of responsibility to hide behind a character with the aim of painting achievements you do not merit.
At this point, SOKAPU wishes to advise the media to be very circumspect and not be in a hurry to publish any news item that carry grievous falsehood to avoid unnecessary libel and slander and to avoid tarnishing its integrity.
Having said the above, SOKAPU stands by its statement that Mr Kaduna Garba, 32, and father of two children, who was an IDP in Kallah town, Kallah Ward, Kajuru LGA was murdered by Fulani herdsmen in the morning of 29th October, 2020 in Mangunguna, while his kinsman, Francis Bala, 38 escaped with severe wounds from machete cuts. The Police in Kasuwan Magani have documented this tragedy.
SOKAPU is committed to ensuring peace, justice and wellbeing of every Southern Kaduna person. We have made it a creed that no longer would the life of any of our members be wasted without due documentation and the circumstances of his death captured in the news for posterity to know. We believe this is a way to honor these victims, and not just gloss over their killings as mere statistics. We believe that if justice is not gotten for them here on earth, the Almighty would surely judge in the hereafter.
A serious, responsible and committed government would have carried the Press with formidable security to some, if not all the communities, we claimed have been captured by Fulani militia and the persons killed with the aim of asserting or rubbishing our claims. A good and humane governor who is not a bigot, who does not hate a certain section of his constituency could have also carried out a detailed census of the IDPs to determine their numbers and what assistance to give them.
But it is on record that Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna has, by his own admission, never visited any of the scores of affected Southern Kaduna Communities. He has never shown any empathy towards them and talks less of assisting them to feed and rebuild their ravaged communities.
In fact, the sayings of the fake Rev. Dauda Fadia fits properly into the narrative of Governor Nasir el-Rufai, who claims to be a Fulani. The Governor has asserted that not a single Southern Community has been displaced and occupied by anybody. He even challenged any traditional ruler to come up with such evidence. But having arrested and jailed several traditional rulers from Southern Kaduna and some respectable Southern Kaduna leaders and elders, it would be foolhardy for any of them not to read the obvious threat and danger in that challenge.
What kind of government would utterly abandon 100 of its communities to the hands of marauders and refuse to show pity to the thousands of displaced kids, women, the old, and infirmed under its watch?
It is simply a pity that we have found ourselves under this kind of leadership.