Soldiers Kill Six Christian Worshippers In Kaduna

Reports reaching us from the southern part of Kaduna state indicate that soldiers of the Nigerian army in the area have committed an atrocity as they reportedly shot dead six Christian worshippers on Sunday.

Nigerian military personnel

A witness, who gave his name as Christopher, told The Nation that the incident occurred at St Peters Catholic Church in Gidan-Waya area of Jama’a local government area of the state.

He said the soldiers allegedly shot the church’s security guards who mounted a temporary stop and search checkpoint in front of their church during mass, adding that many other worshippers sustained various degrees of injury.

“The clash occurred at about 10.00am when church service was on. A soldier approached the church’s watch men popularly known as Cadet and ordered them to dismantle the temporary check point during the church service, but the boys refused the order on the argument that church service was ongoing and that they would do as soon as service was over, but the soldier was dissatisfied with the explanation,” he said.

Christopher, who is a residence of Gidan-Waya, further stated that the soldier went back and mobilised his colleagues who stormed the church and started shooting at the local guards.
“The gunshots ended the church service. Women and youths immediately reacted to the shooting by confronting the soldiers as a result of which one Soldier and three civilians were injured,” Christopher said.

Another witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident led to a clash between residents and soldiers, adding that a block of flats at a staff quarters belonging to Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan- Waya, occupied by the military personnel, was burnt with two guns carted away.

A resident who gave his name as Bulbs Jatau said: “Six people were killed, a flat occupied by some army personnel burnt while many people were injured.”
A lecturer at the college who did not want his name in print revealed that a 200-level student was among the people killed by the soldiers’ bullets.

“A soldier has a motorcycle he uses as a means of transportation. The cadet boys manning the Church during Mass had told him that each time there is Church programme, he should not increase the acceleration of his motorcycle but he refused to abide by what the boys told him. Today, he was passing during church Mass and the road was closed. He started shouting at the boys asking why they blocked the road, as the argument was ongoing, he returned to a check-point and mobilised other army personnel and they came shooting. As they were shooting, a certain man coming back from another church was hit by the bullet and he died instantly. One of the cadet boys was shot but he died at a hospital,” the lecturer said.

Another witness, however, revealed that the situation has sparked a reaction from residents of the community as youths and women are protesting naked, adding that the mobile policemen that were mobilised from Kafanchan shot tear-gas to disperse the protesters.

“The incident also turned violent as four people also dropped dead when the protesters blocked all roads leading to Abuja, Jos and Kafanchan in protest of the killing. All the checkpoints in the area have been dismantled and the military men have been withdrawn to Kafanchan. The soldiers have told the traditional ruler that they will come back in the night to search for their guns,” another resident said.

When attempts were made to contact the spokesperson for the 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna, Col Abdul Usman, he refused to answer his phone or reply to the text message sent to him.
It is understood that some of the people who survived the clash are currently receiving treatment at a state general hospital.

Rev Fr Anselm Onyeka, a Catholic priest, has criticized the constant gathering of tithe from worshippers in some churches, describing the act as stealing from the people.