Olushola Omogbehin
The victims of the recent attack in Naridom village in Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru local government area (LGA) of Kaduna State by suspected bandits have been given mass burial on Saturday.
Gunmen stormed the community in the early hours of last Monday as they opened fire on residents and claimed scores of lives, destroy houses, shops and planted tears in many homes.
Speaking on Sunday, the chairman, Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev Joseph John Hayab, said Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) officials were present at the burial of the victims as well as condoled with their families.
“It was unfortunate and very painful one. We were making progress in our efforts to restore peace, then we have that kind of killing. But that only shows us that more needs to be done. Because these criminals, terrorists and bandits are not what sometimes they want us to think they are. They have no mercy. They are brutal.
“They are evil. And so anybody who begins to talk as if he has some kind of understanding with them, because he is not a victim. We have to understand that they are evil people that demand a very firm action. Or else they will allow us to just assume all is well, only to come back and attack. Look at the kind of people they killed.
“I feel bad about it. The church is sad about it. We are only appealing to government. Let’s redefine our rhetoric about them. I think that’s what we want. We understand what it means to use kinetic and non-kinetic. But we also understand when you have a stubborn criminal, how you deal with him. And we expect when you have a stubborn criminal, deal with him in such a way that you will know that he cannot deceive you twice”
“I did not attend the burial but the local CAN officials were there to identify with the village. We have been talking with them, the development associations were there to sympathize with the families that lost their loved ones,” Hayab said.
As well, human rights activist, Steven Kefas said on his verified Facebook page over the mass burial that:
“Earlier today, we buried 27 out of the 30 people murdered by Fulani militants in Naridon village, Southern Kaduna. The other 3 were buried days ago.”
Also during the burial, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Julius Yakubu Kundi, said the coffins were deliberately arranged together as a reminder of the tragedy.
“I deliberately asked for the coffins to be lined up like this. So it will be evidence for us and all of Nigeria that we failed to protect them because they should not have died now,” he added.
He expressed sympathy for the families, especially the mothers mourning the loss of their loved ones, describing their pain as unbearable.
