PEGNI-KUJE: Beseiged By Fulani Militias, FCT Communities Wike, CP Igwe Must Visit

Kuje sits 42km from the Abuja city centre, a predominantly agrarian community, which accounts for over 30 per cent of food production that’s consumed in the Federal Capital Territory.

It boasts of natural resources such as precious metals with abundant stones for industrial use such as Barytes, Gypsum, Kaolin and Tin among others.

Despite the availability of these mineral resources, the day-to-day life of the people revolves around farming. But instead of coming to buy food items from the communities, alleged Fulani bandits are over
running the communities and kidnapping residents for ransom.

The once-thriving farming communities have been deserted by the residents. Bandits have invaded the communities and taken over the land.

Most homes have been abandoned as people continue to relocate to safe places. Farmlands have been left for the Fulani, who graze their cattle there.

There are no hospitals, no government schools, no access roads, and no water as people depend on a few boreholes donated by good Samaritans while the rest depend on stream water.

News of repeated attacks and kidnapping for ransom, destruction of farmlands and tales of woes forced THE WHISTLER to visit five of the communities in the Kuje Area Council most affected by this orgy of
Fulani attacks, on Friday.

Having reached the headquarters of the Area Council, our Correspondent took a detour to Pegni pronounced (Pegi) on an untarred road. Led by a motorbike rider, our Correspondent reached the headquarters of Gaube ward after one hour and 25 minutes.

A look around the community showed deserted communities with the few who said they have nowhere to “run to except to die here” remaining.

A visit to the palace of the head of the village, his royal highness, Chief Irimiya G. Anysnana, who was not available, showed a few palace chiefs discussing recent abductions by attackers they said were Fulani
terrorists.

Two days before THE WHISTLER visited the community, four people had been abducted.

In the absence of Chief Anysnana, Kaura Marcus, the Sarki Pada, the second in command, received our Correspondent and explained the plight of the people in the hands of attackers.

“We can’t go to the farm again. This place we live is called Pegni, our ancestors lived here; we were born here but some people want to pursue us from here.

“As you came, it took you over one hour; did you see any government presence? Did you see any roads made by the government? Did you see any hospitals?

“But the only thing we ask for is protection yet we can’t get it. That’s the naval base there,” pointing to a naval base, which is one kilometre from the Chief’s palace.

The naval base sits on a large expanse of land and is well-protected by armed naval ratings is expected to provide security and ward off attackers.

Yet, the bureaucracy of getting “orders from above” has made them ineffective. When this reporter visited the base, he was not allowed in but an officer who said he was in charge of the base came out after almost an hour when he was told a journalist was asking questions.

While refusing to identify himself, he explained that, “We are doing our best. We always intervene whenever we hear of any attack.”

The villagers corroborated what the Navy said but held that their intervention was always late and “not good enough,” because “where weapons are airdropped for these militants is just there, that’s
Tukuba”, the youth president, who drove this reporter to the naval base said, pointing at a hill almost two kilometres away.

We’re Overrun

The president of the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA) of Abuja, Pastor Danladi Jeji, who has always lamented about the fate of “my people in Abuja” told this paper, “We have been
overrun and our land taken over. The entire Gaube ward has been overrun by terrorists who abduct and take our farm produce on a daily basis.”

At the periphery of the community lies empty farmlands as the people now feel that planting crops is a waste of time.

“The Fulani would come and attack us and take the crops,” Wushekwo, a member of the community Vigilante said while walking this reporter towards the vast farmlands that now lie fallow.

“We are at their mercy,” he lamented, pointing out that “There was a time when over 200 Fulani men with matchets and guns invaded this village and kidnapped over 20 people, turning some of the women widows.

“We tried our best to repel them but we were overpowered and no one, not even the navy came to our aid.”

But the Navy explained that “What the villagers were calling invasion when those Fulanis on motorbikes came was not an invasion but a search for one of theirs whom they said was missing.”

But the villagers would have none of it. They told this paper that, “They used that search as a pretext. They actually kidnapped some people later and collected ransom from them,” Danjuma, wielding a
machete he said he used when he joined the vigilante, said, “We work with Man O’ War to provide security in the village, we defend the farmlands too but there’s not much we can do because we are not
armed.”

In the Tukuba community, which this reporter was prevented from accessing for fear of being attacked by the Fulani, lies the “helipad where weapons are dropped for them to attack us.”

A walk towards the community showed rough roads that lead to different parts of the bush. “There are routes where they pass with their cattle but that’s just to deceive us. They collect information,” Gaza Yusuf Dadayagode, the president, OIDA Youth and Cultural Wing said while leading THE WHISTLER to a place he called “their operational areas where they pass, camp and attack us.”

Just as he was explaining, several Fulani young men wielding machetes and what looked like guns concealed in sacks began to approach with their cattle.

Pointing at them, “Now we need to be careful,” he warned, adding, “You know you are not from here. They are always scared when they see people like you. They feel something is not right so they can tell
their people who could wait on the road to attack.”

At that moment, we hurriedly left back to Pegni Primary School near the chief’s place.

Dadayagode, who’s in his early 40s revealed that “45 people were recently kidnapped in Gbaupe community,” before leading this reporter to the place.

“We don’t have to go deep into the village, your security is very important. These Fulani could be around and so it’s better we are discreet,” he advised.

It took 45 minutes by bike to reach Gbaukwuchi from Gbaupe, another community, which has been deserted.

A woman processing gari (cassava flour) at the edge of the village said, “This is for us to eat, not for sale,” pointing at the white cassava flour she was frying. “We harvest our cassava from the village
and can’t go far into the bush where the soil is good to plant and harvest because we may not return.”

Her husband was abducted a year ago and was killed because she could not pay the N500,000 ransom demanded by the captors they claimed Fulani militias.

“His lifeless body was found decomposing more than two weeks later,” she lamented while her last born of four children was helping to stoke the fire.

Minister, Lawmakers Have Forgotten Us

Between January and March, over 50 people have been reportedly kidnapped in Gbaukwuchi alone, villagers said.

A youth leader and member of the vigilante, Marcus, who protects the village said, “We don’t sleep. We can’t go to the farm again. We do nothing but patrol to ensure our people are safe.

“If we don’t, no one will and our people would be kidnapped and raped,” he said pointing in the direction of a hill he was inhabited by Fulani militias.

In Gbaududu, Gbaupe and Pavnwu, villagers have equally deserted the communities.

“We have abandoned the stream because the Fulani people have taken over the stream, which is the major source of our drinking water,” lamented Audu, who pointed out that “my yams were stolen by these same people.

“I harvested many yams, my farm was very big. But they invaded our community one day and kidnapped my younger brother, his friend, a lady and some people, about eight people and took our food too.”

Leading our reporter to where the vigilante engaged some of the militants when they attacked the village in February, a villager, Silas said people are kidnapped every day in Pavnwu “but who do we run to? We are helpless. No one has come to our aid.

“Our president has called on the government but no answer. Our people in the national assembly have failed us.

“This ward accounts for the highest number of voters. Whoever wins here wins the Kuje Area Council election. But the senators and the house members only remember us when the election is around the
corner,” he said.

Similar tales of woes are being experienced in Dune Fadama, Kohodahanu, Kabwasha and Kuseki, where a day before our reporter visited, seven people were reportedly kidnapped while two others were
killed.

In Dune Fadama, villagers said over 25 had been kidnapped since January while 19 had been kidnapped in Kohodahanu and five killed.

Meanwhile, 21 people were abducted in Kabwasha village while three were killed, villagers said.