Another village set ablaze in Kaduna

Houses were again set ablaze by a mob in Kalla village near Kasuwar Magani in Kajuru local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday evening.

The incident occurred at about 5 p.m., according to residents.

The village is about 7 kilometres from Kasuwar Magani community where a previous violence raged on Monday causing about 12 deaths.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that about 300 residents of Kalla ‎village are now squatting with relations and friends.

Residents say a mob, consisting mostly of the youth, were seen going from house to house setting fire yesterday evening.

Premium Times reported the outbreak of violence among the youth in Kasuwar Magani, over interfaith dating on Monday.

Normalcy was said to have returned Tuesday morning as ‎security agencies deployed to the area took over the major streets in the community. The police confirmed 12 killed in the violence but said normalcy had been restored.

Residents remained indoors throughout the day.

A resident of Kalla village who simply identified himself as Akilu told PREMIUM TIMES by phone that he and his neighbours took refuge at Kasuwar Magani Police Station after the youth chased them away from their houses.

“We abandoned our properties to save our lives. We are not part of the crisis in Kasuwar Magani. In fact, when the first incident occurred on Monday nothing happened in our village.

“But on Tuesday evening that we thought everything was calm, some youth in their numbers began to set fire to our houses.

“Our village is small with virtually about 20-25 houses and all have been set ablaze by the youth. This I saw with my eyes as we were being escorted out by mobile policemen and soldiers who came to rescue us,” he said.

Mr Akilu said it was the security personnel that gave them cover to the police station.

“From the police station, those of us with relatives nearby went there with our family members to past the night. It was really a horrific situation‎,” he said.

‎According to him, nobody was killed but an elderly man in the area was seriously injured.

“We have been living peacefully with the tribes there but see what their youth did to us. I don’t think we will return to the village again,” he said.

‎Motorists plying the Kaduna-Kachia-Kajuru Highway from the southern part of the state were said to have been stranded yesterday night due to the fresh violence at Kalla village.

‎The fresh violence happened few hours after a team of Muslim and Christian scholars visited Kasuwar Magani community to counsel the people about peace and reconciliation Tuesday Morning.

The team was headed by Yohanna Buru, who is the national president, Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria.

He explained that the aim was to meet with all the traditional title holders, Muslim and Christian leaders, youth organisation, and other relevant authority in the area to sympathise with them over the ugly incident that claimed l‎ives and properties.

“We came here as a team of religious leaders to meet with every stake holder in the area, so as to interact and dialogue, on ways to move the region ahead through forgiveness, tolerance because‎ peace is the best solution to all kinds of problem disturbing any society.”