Religious Violence: Military deployed to Kafanchan

"The security source revealed that 15 Toyota Hilux Vans along with other security personnel swooped in the Kafanchan area to conduct house to house search".

Indications have emerged that the ongoing Jihadist violent incursion into the Christian communities in Kaduna maybe far from over while information indicates that the military men from Division One had already moved into the Kafanchan communities following a tip-off that a group of Jihadist believed attached to the Emir of Jam’a – Emir Mohammed – had begun broad campaign for arms acquisition.

According to the information received from within the military ranks, a tip-off was received via intelligent agents stationed in the area  of the arms depot being assembled by a Jihadist group believed to be attached to the dreaded Boko Haram. 

In addition to the cache of weapons being assembled, it was gathered that the Emirate council had already employed foreign experts in the use of the weapons to train the local youths on the use of the weapon and on the act of terrorism. The foreigners are believed to be attached with the Iranian funded Hezbollah from Lebanon.

The security source revealed that 15 Toyota Hilux Vans along with other security personnel swooped in the Kafanchan area to conduct house to house search.

The source explained that the Military had received intelligence that an attack on the immediate surrounding Christian communities appeared imminent. According to the source, the security report appeared credible.

It was further revealed that the immediate area surrounding the Emir’s palace had been known to experience a hot spot of violent activities during religious crisis. He pointed to the violent crisis that followed the presidential polls of 2011 as a case point. He revealed that the entire home/residences near the Emir’s palace belonging to non-Muslims were burnt and destroyed completely by ‘Jihadist thugs’ believed to be attacked to the Emir.

Immediately following the 2011 attack on the nearby Christian communities, the source explained that the emissaries from the Emir’s palace approved the Christian owners of the destroyed property – with an offer to purchase the properties. 

But the Christian home owners who believed the Emir’s offer to be a ploy to move them away from the area – refused to accept the offer to sell their homes to the Emir’s people. And although the owners of the home are yet to return to their homes, they retain ownership of the homes.

The pointed to the recent imposition of a curfew in Southern Kaduna community of Kafanchan as only benefiting the Jihadist elements operating within the Kafanchan axis. He pointed to the ‘silent’ destruction of a Methodist Church located near the Emir’s palace as another case point. 

He explained that following the imposition of the dusk till dawn curfew, the Jihadist elements moved in quietly into the Church building to destroy the pews, worship alter, windows, doors and other items inside the Church. He stated that the Jihadist elements smartly avoided lighting the Church on fire so as to avoid alerting the attention of the security forces stationed near the area.

Further investigation into the nature of weapons being amassed by the Jihadist elements in Kafachan revealed that sophisticated weapons are believed to have been smuggled into the area near the Emir’s Palace. 

The high sophistry of the weapon is believed to be based on the reason that the Jihadist appeared heavily outnumbered in the Kafanchan area by non-Muslims – and thus – may require highly sophisticated weapons to stand a chance at a face to face attack against the non-Muslims in the area.

A military officer who is stationed in the area told our correspondent that the Jihadist elements in the area intends to “chase away non-Muslims, take over their properties” and continue the spread of their Jihadist doctrine to larger geographical area.

A community youth leader in Southern Kaduna who chose not to have his name mentioned shared his views . He explained that the non-Muslims in Southern Kaduna are ready to face the Jihadist elements themselves, if left alone to fight them. 

He lamented the imposition security forces as being counter-productive because whenever the Jihadist elements attack first, the non-Muslims do not get the chance to respond to the attack before the military arrives. “They always attack first and when we organize to retaliate, the military stops us”.