Even as the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi Adenaike yesterday debunked allegations that the attack on Dogon Dawa village where 24 people were killed last Saturday was led by a police officer, leaders of the Fulani community from the area have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a reprisal from their members.
The leaders of the Fulani herdsmen who were at the state police headquarters in Kaduna yesterday claimed responsibility for the Dogon Dawa attack, explaining that "it was a reprisal for the arrest, humiliation and killing of our Fulani herdsmen by the vigilance group from the village."
The Fulani leaders whose names were not given to the press for security reasons maintained that, "the Fulani people have been accused severally of committing all kinds of atrocities by the vigilance group, especially now that Fulani people are returning from long time grazing from places like Kwara, Niger and Kogi State.
"And in Birnin/Gwari, there have been problems of robbery and all sort of vices, such as cow theft. It was on that basis that the community established the vigilance group to ensure crime-free community.
"It is this vigilance group that is now killing our people who go about their lawful businesses accusing them of robbery.
"The vigilance group of Dogon Dawa indiscriminately kill our men calling them armed robbers; they also steal our cattles, so our men carried out a revenge on them," the leader stated without remorse.
The Fulani leaders who were at the police headquarters to voluntarily give information of the last Sunday attack, however, stated that it was attempt of their members to salvage themselves from the "so-called" vigilance group that led to the reprisal attacks.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi Adenaike has debunked in the strongest term that, contrary to the report that one of his officers led the team of the attackers, saying his men rather made frantic efforts at addressing the situation.
The CP who paraded the Fulani leaders at the police command whom he said came to voluntarily give vital information on the attack alongside the accused police officers, further informed that the police had since commenced thorough investigation on the attack and will definitely fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
In the same vein, the Police Officer in charge of the Kuyello Police Outpost, ASP Musa Ashero, who was accused of leading the attackers spoke to newsmen at the press conference organised by the CP, saying, his job was to protect lives and property of the citizens and not to lead attackers to take lives of people.
According to him, "I have served the police for about 32 years and about to retire, so why will I engage in an activity that will tarnish my image and efforts put into the police force for these years?
"When the vigilance group arrested the four alleged armed robbers, I made efforts to retrieve the men into the police custody so that we can interrogate them properly. The vigilance group resisted my efforts and vehemently took them to Dogon Dawa village, when they overpowered our efforts.
"When the attack started on Sunday, I informed the Divisional Police Officer of the local government (Birnin Gwari), CSP Abu Birchi Abubakar who immediately called the Mobile police to rush to the scene but they said they had no fuel in their car, so I personally gave them N2000 to buy fuel but getting close to the village, they said the firing was too much so they had to stay back," he explained.
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