By CHIMEZIE ENYIOCHA

No fewer than 48 people have been killed and over 300 houses burnt down by gunmen suspected to be bandits in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The gunmen were said to have carried out the coordinated attacks in a stretch of one week.

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday in Kaduna, the President of Atyap Development Association, Samuel Achie, said the coordinated attacks which lasted for some days in about 12 villages under the Chiefdom, left fewer than one thousand people displaced with several others injured.

“We need peace more than any other thing now and we are trusting God that peace is going to be restored in the land,” he said.

“We should see ourselves as brothers. A Fulani man is a brother to an Ita man; Ita man is a brother to a Fulani man, a Hausa man is a brother to an Ita man. By the time we begin to see ourselves like that and begin to operate as brothers and sisters, no brother will want to take arms against his own brother.”

He appealed to both the government and security agencies to come to their aid and stop the carnage before the people are completely wiped out by the gunmen.

The affected communities are Kibori, Magamiya 1 and 2, Matei, Makarau, Ungwan Rohogo, Ungwan Jaba, Abuyap, Jankasa, Ma-gata, Warkan, Kachechere.

The marauding bandits also created a severe humanitarian crisis in the community.

Children, women and the aged are now displaced; those who have nowhere to go are taking refuge in this internally displaced person camp run by this clergyman.

The development forced Governor Nasir el-Rufai to call all stakeholders for a peace meeting on Friday at the Government House in Kaduna.

Speaking after the meeting, the Commander of the Operation Safe Haven, Major General Ibrahim Ali, said since his assumption as the Commander, he visited Zango Kataf to meet with the various representatives of the communities.

“We sat down, discussed and listened to their problems and we looked for ways of resolving the problems. Thankfully, some of the decisions we took are yielding fruitful results now and the governor felt it necessary to also call the stakeholders to come for another round of meeting so that better decisions that will sustain the peace will be taken,” he said.

While suing for peace and cooperation among the various communities, he said people should be tolerant in order to make progress. (Channels TV)