Kaduna/Zaria mayhem: The tempestuous response from Christians
‘You have not seen anything yet’

By Luka Binniyat

Two volcanic explosions in two Churches in  Zaria, and another equally thunderous bang at another Church in Kaduna, erected the new foundation for the latest  rounds of mass human slaughtering  and heart wrenching destruction of property in Kaduna State last week.

Between 1987 and last Sunday, Kaduna state had witnessed 13 bloody clashes which almost always pitched residents of the state against Hausa/Fulani Muslims, with sympathizers on both sides as tag-team partners.

In Zaria, according official police report, Christ the King Catholic Church was bombed by a suicide bomber leading to the death of 14 worshippers, around 8:40am; 32 were injured.  Also in Zaria, the ECWA Church, Wusasa, was bombed leading to the death of 3 people. In Kaduna, Shalom Church International, which was hit by a suicide bomber in a Honda car, three people were killed, and unspecified number of others was injured – this was at about 9:30 am.


A car vandalized on June 17 by mobs in reprisal for action to a suicide bomb attack on the Shalom Church during a Sunday service in the Trikania neighbourhood in Kaduna. AFP PHOTO
Less than 15 minutes after the Kaduna bomb blasts, Christian youths South of Kaduna town responded with a murderous gust of vengeance in a shocking display of cold disregard for human lives,  human pity, and any sense of morose in a manner  that would leave even  Boko Haram shivering in disbelieve.

In just two hours, statistics later showed that not less than 70 Hausa Muslims had been sent to their graves, while hundreds others suffered severe injuries.

Then by 11am that same morning, a distraught Governor Patrick Yakowa ordered Kaduna State shut down.  A 24-hour curfew was imposed on the state that has been divided along physical, religious and political fault lines since the infamous Zangon Kataf fracas of the early 1990s.

It looked like a bottled up anger against all the killings in churches as a result of series of suicide bombings, and sometimes outright gunning down of Christians in some parts of Northern Nigeria.

In the Television area of Kaduna, which had been renamed, “New Jerusalem”, a 30-year old man was spotted issuing orders to a group of about 30 youths, supervising the demolition of Mosque still bellowing out smoke after it had been burnt.

He had set up a road block, where his members stopped cars and frightened passersby trying to figure out who was a Hausa Muslim.  While, the rest carried axes, machetes, diggers and clubs, the “boss” had no weapon of any sort.

Not far away, cars, trucks and buses belonging to Hausa Muslims were torched.
As he came towards this reporter and the women and children in the area, everyone took to their heels and headed into a room in a nearby building.

“Open this door and give us water, or we will open it ourselves”, he said.
This reporter opened the door as the women and children looked on in fright.  His boys with their clothes soaked in blood and sweat waited outside, chanting unprintable abuses, as their boss walked in.

All the contents of the fridge were emptied. It was actually another form of looting.
As they hungrily drank and ate, this reporter attempted a conversation with the leader.
“Bob, you guys are tough o!”

“You have not seen anything, yet; will you follow us”, he responded
“I will follow you if we go catch Boko Haram”

“See this Uncle, don’t you know that every Hausa man is Boko Haram?  If Hausa people don’t want Boko Haram in Kaduna, they will drive them away. So they are all Boko Haram”.

“Some people believe that Christians should not revenge”, I went on.

“That is Jesus! We are not Jesus. If Boko Haram enters Kaduna, we will not run under the bed. If Christians in other places don’t love them, in Kaduna we cannot tolerate them.  We are not their mates!

“But, if you are Christians, you should have been to church by now”
“In times like this, this is our work. And when they hit our people in Tudun Wada (Muslims dominated area)  later, we will match and take care of them”
In our five minute conversation, he rained  tirades  of abuses on the President and the state governor.

In Trikania, where a church was bombed, and where the Muslim and Christian population is about balanced, the Christian youth took the usually combatant Muslim population by surprise, launching deadly attacks on them.

At Sabo market, irate Christian youths messed up the meat meant for sale by vendors and stamped the meat under their feet. The street along that area was strewn with kola nuts, suya, cigarettes and used clothes -  merchandise that are almost the preserve of Hausa traders in that part of the state.

The military, police and other security agencies were stretched thin, as they kept running from one part of troubled area to another. The heavy teargas and bullets shots in the air could not tame the rage of the Christian youths.
By the time sanity was forced to return, a large disaster was left behind as a response to the bombing of two churches in Zaria and Kaduna leaving a about 17 worshippers dead.

Muslims hit back

On Monday, after the state government relaxed the curfew from 2pm to 6 pm, some members of the Hausa Muslim community trooped to hospitals in search of their relations that had not returned.
After burying their dead, the stage was set for counter reprisals.

On Tuesday, a Mobile Police man carrying a riffle, narrowly escaped death, after angry Hausa Muslim youths pounced on him, lacerating his body with knives. They snatched his riffle, but he managed to escape with the magazine. Another Immigration Officer in mufti also escaped being lynched near the Police man.

It was reported that some three Christian female traders were killed by a mob at the market.

Soon, a military helicopter was seen flying over thick fumes of smoke, as Tudun Wada, Unguwan Mua’azu, Trikania, Panteka and Kawo, were besieged by Hausa Muslim youths who picked up arms and set out for Christian targets.

Two students on their way to Kaduna Polytechnic were slaughtered because they took the wrong route, according to reports.

In Bardawa, far northern part of Kaduna town, with majority Hausa Muslims, fighting was reported to have broken out as minority non-Muslims residents waded off attacks by the Majority around 4pm on Wednesday. Some Churches and homes of Christians were reported to have been burnt, and many killed, but it was also said that Christian youths in some parts of the area, retaliated.

At the St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, the Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Mr Sunday John, confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that five corpses were deposited with 14 injured persons, as a result of the fresh violence.

At the Barau Dikko General Hospital, an unspecified number of the deaths were taken there with many other injured persons.

It was also gathered that some other private hospitals were treating many other injured victims.
Another source told Sunday Vanguard, that a car conveying some four Igbo traders to their business premises on Jos Road, off Bayajida Street, was burnt with the four inside, Tuesday night.

“Their roasted bodies are still inside the roasted car”, said the source who asked not to be mentioned.

In the face of all these reports, Kaduna State Police Spokesman, ASP Aminu Lawan, did not pick calls put to him by Sunday Vanguard, nor responded to a text message to his phone asking for clarifications on the developments.

In Barnawa part of the town, the small Hausa Muslim population surrounded by Christians, it was reported that some trucks and buses had driven in and evacuated many women and children since the violence broke out last Sunday.

At far away Kawo, it was reported that Hausa Muslim youths were said to have hijacked vehicles, killing non Muslim travelers.

At Hiyin Banki, dominated by Hausa Muslims, many were reported killed, but that Christian youths had also responded by killing and burning some Hausa Muslims and there assets.

Curiously, the Christian dominated areas south of Kaduna River has remained calm, after last Sunday’s madness.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/kadunazaria-mayhem-the-tempestuous-response-from-christians-and-muslims/

No wonder! Now it's clear why the NEMA officials refused to breakdown the casualty figures from last Sunday's mayhem into those who died from the bomb blast and those who died from the reprisals. Claimed it was sensitive.

Hm. Appears these Southern Kaduna guys in their characteristic manner gave out more than was bargained for.

Security forces take note.

It is obvious that the Christians in Kaduna state are not the average feeble minded Christians you find in other Nigerian states.

If the Stupid Boko Haram are intent on continuing attacks in Kaduna State, they will start a storm that they cannot control.

To all KD people I say more grease to your elbows and may God be with you in your endevours.

This is even more serious than i'd previously feared.
Sunday services here in Romi is more like a vigilante service. Half the congregation inside the church,half outside..battle ready.
Everyone indeed has his/her own breaking point.

mykejones: This is even more serious than i'd previously feared.
Sunday services here in Romi is more like a vigilante service. Half the congregation inside the church,half outside..battle ready.
Everyone indeed has his/her own breaking point.

Agile Christians

mykejones: This is even more serious than i'd previously feared.
Sunday services here in Romi is more like a vigilante service. Half the congregation inside the church,half outside..battle ready.
Everyone indeed has his/her own breaking point.

i pity such pastor wetin he go? preach love your enemies that pastor na dead from what you have written