|
|
|
|
THE GUGA VILLAGE TRAGEDY: THE KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT MUST SET UP A JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY. GUGA VILLAGE IN GIWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF KADUNA STATE Guga village, in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State is about 30 minutes drive from Zaria city. It is located on the Zaria-Funtua road and about 15 minutes drive from the Secretariat of the local government in Giwa. Majority of buildings in the village are of mud with thatched roofing. There is no pipe-borne water. The people use water from local wells for drinking and other domestic applications. There is no hospital or health center in the village. There is no secondary school. The nearest secondary to Guga village is the Government Secondary School at Shika, about 15 minutes drive from the village. The children attend Local Education Authority (L.E.A) primary school in the village. The people are mainly farmers. Sometimes they take their farm produce for sale in the cities. Some of them also travel out of the state to sell their crops. The villagers’ estimates that they are about 4000 – 5000 people. THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAGEDY The Kaduna State Government started an electrification project in Guga village in 1983. But they were not connected to the national grid until 1995 when the villagers taxed themselves and raised a total of one hundred and fifty thousand naira (N150, 000.00). Out of this amount, they paid one hundred and eight thousand naira (N108, 000.00) to the National Electric Power Authority (N.E.P.A) district office in Zaria and were subsequently connected to the National Greed. THE MURDER OF TWO VILLAGERS On December 24th, 1999 at about 11.00a.m, soldiers believed to have come from the Basawa barracks in Zaria killed two villagers. The Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Mohammed Makarfi, visited the village that evening, along with the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Hamisu Isah and some other Government Officials. The killing was in connection with the electricity transformer in the village, which N.E.P.A wanted to replace. The two men killed were:
EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT Human Rights Monitor interviewed eyewitness to the incident. One of them Alhaji Tanimu Lawal an uncle to Shittu Shehu (deceased) and a former counselor of the Local Government (1992/1993.) All those interviewed agreed on the sequence of events that led to the death of the two villagers. They stated that in the morning of December 20th, 1999, around eleven-o clock, some NEPA officials came to the village attempting to remove the transformer in the village. The villagers inquired from them why they were removing the transformer. They told them that the Local Government Chairman, Lawal Abdullahi, directed them to remove the transformer and replace it with another one. They further claimed that the transformer they brought looked older than their own. They told the N.E.P.A officials that they do not want their transformer to be replaced and that since it was installed in 1995, they never had any problems with it. The N.E.P.A officials insisted that it was an order from the Chairman, that the Chairman asked them to transfer the transformer to his own (chairman’s village.) The villagers insisted that their transformer will not be removed and the NEPA officials left. On December 22nd, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris sent a message to the village and asked them to be steadfast and not allow any unauthorized removal of their transformer. On Friday, December 24, N.E.P.A officials returned but this time, they started disconnecting the village from the high-tension line near the main road in the village. The villagers who were at home and had not gone to the farm then gathered and started protesting to the N.E.P.A officials. They were shouting No! No! No! Four soldiers accompanied the N.E.P.A officials. One of the soldiers started beating a child among the villagers and they pleaded with the soldiers not to kill the child and while this was going on another soldier cocked his gun and started shooting at the villagers. Then other soldiers joined too and all started shooting. This was when Ahmadu and Shittu were shot and killed by the soldiers. All these things took about 15 minutes, from the time the N.E.P.A officials came into the village with the soldiers, to the time of the shootings. Five persons were injured. One of them, Sirajo, was shot in the leg. The people of Guga village then carried Shittu’s body to the secretariat of the Local Government to inform the Chairman of the death but he was not there. They also went back to bring Ahmadu’s body but by the time they returned to the Local government secretariat, all the workers there had left and the locked up every where. Then carried the bodies to the mortuary. THE RESPONSE OF THE KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT The Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, visited village at about 6.00p.m on December 24, 1999 and told the villagers to be patient. He promised to order an investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident and the death of the villagers. He pleaded with them to bury the dead and gave the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand naira only to the families of the deceased. The villagers reciprocated the Governor's kind gesture and buried Shittu and Ahmadu at about 1.30a.m. On Saturday, December 25, 1999 representatives of the community visited the Governor of Kaduna State in the company of the members of Shika Development Association. The community analyzed the issues that led to the crisis, made their positions known and made other demands on the government. The address of the community is reproduced.
THE ADDRESS OF THE COMMUNITY TO THE GOVERNOR SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN GUGA TOWN OF SHIKA DISTRICT IN GIWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA BEGINNING ON MONDAY 20 DECEMBER TO FRIDAY 24 DECEMBER 1999. Peace Be Unto You, Your Excellency, we wish to explain to you in a summary form the things that happened in this town, the cause and the complaints of the Guga community in order to forestall future occurrence. What happened in Guga town your Excellency has a history dating back to 1980 during the tenure of the then Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa. That was the time the decision to electrify Giwa and Guga was taken and wiring was done and transformers distributed. After that, we were strongly advised to guard these facilities against theft or vandalization. This we have done till today. The electrification project did not materialize until in 1995, when we the people of Guga were asked to contribute some money as a sign of our interest in the light before we can be connected. We launched an appeal fund for that purpose on Saturday 23 September 1995. The sum of N 100,000.00 was realized which we handed over to the Giwa Local Government. However, realizing the lackadaisical attitude of the council, we retrieved the money and took it to NEPA office Zaria. We were given a bill of N 118,906.00 for direct labor, which we paid and got connected to the light. NEPA advised us to ensure that the transformer is not tampered with or changed for another. Since that time nothing has happened to our transformer and we have never had cause to complain to NEPA about it, until Monday 20 December 1999 at about 11.00a.m when some NEPA officials without prior notice in writing or verbally, came to remove the transformer. They came in two vehicles one of, which carried a transformer that was to be exchanged for our own. The Guga community inquired from the NEPA officials their authority for wanting to remove our transformer and reminded them of their advise to us not to allow anybody to deceive us into exchanging it for another or tampering with it. They informed us that the instruction is from the Giwa Local Government Chairman who wants the transformer removed to his hometown, Yarkawada, and replaced with the one they brought. When the community protested against their mission, they went back to their office in Zaria and informed the Assistant Manager (Distribution) who in company of one of his staff went to Giwa and informed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that his staff were prevented from doing their legal duty in Guga. The DPO detailed the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) to go with the NEPA officials so that they can do the job, but the community refused to allow them, whereupon they both went to see the DPO to explain things to him. After explaining to the DPO he understood the problem and said that the NEPA officials did not tell him the nature of the duty they wanted to do. He advised the Chief of Guga and his people to go with the NEPA officials to the Area Commander (AC) in Zaria who will give him directive on what to do as the matter was beyond his power. In Zaria, the Assistant Commissioner of Police listened to the two parties i.e. the NEPA officials and representatives of Guga and concluded that the NEPA officials were wrong in forcing Guga Community to accept the change of the transformer. The Assistant Manager (Distribution) apologized and promised not to ever tamper with the transformer in Guga, since that is the one they prefer. The AC requested him to restore light to Guga in the interest of peace, which he promised to do. One of the officers was directed to go and tighten the wires they started removing from the transformer so that it will not born when light is restored. As we were about leaving the AC’s office with the NEPA official directed to go and restore our light the union leader of NEPA workers came and said because the people of Guga have embarrassed their workers, there will be no light for Guga now. On hearing this, the people of Guga returned to the AC’s office to explain to him the latest development. He pleaded with Guga people to exercise patience until Tuesday 21 December 1999 when the Chief should come back to beg the NEPA officers. On Tuesday, the NEPA officials did not come but the District Head of Shika came and pleaded with the people to exercise more patience but adviced that they should not allow anybody to change their transformer. On Wednesday 22 December 1999 around 3.30 p.m. the same district head and some officials of the Emir of Zazzau came back to Guga but this time with a new song, begging the people of Guga to please allow their transformer to be changed without giving any concrete reason. Among the people on the District Head’s entourage was a man introduced to us as the representative of the Emir in NEPA who said to us that even if it means completely wiping out Guga town, in order to change the transformer, it shall be done. However, Guga Community stood their ground. After that, we did not hear from anybody until yesterday 24 December 1999 at about 12.00 noon, everybody was just going about his normal everyday business when we saw NEPA officials with their working implements together with soldiers carrying guns, trying to disconnect the wire that supply light to Guga. On seeing this, members of the Guga community came round and challenged the NEPA officers in consequence of which the soldiers opened fire on the people, which resulted in the death of two people, that is Mal. Ahmed Bako who died leaving behind 20 children and 3 wives, and Malam Shittu Shehu also left behind one wife and two children, and there are a number of people who are hospitalized because of injuries they sustained. There are women and small children that have disappeared and have not been seen to today. In the course of the shooting, one soldier shot a fellow soldier on the shoulder, who is still in the hospital. In conclusion, Guga community is pleading to your excellency to:
We are praying for your intervention your Excellency Again the governor promised that he would make sure that the people who killed Shittu and Ahmadu would be purnished. But up till now nothing has happened, THE RESPONSE OF THE NATIONAL ELECTRIC POWER AUTHORITY ZARIA. Human Rights Monitor interviewed the District Manager of NEPA, Zaria, Mr. Afolabi Ganiyu on the incident at Guga village and he responded as follows: The villagers were misinformed. I do not know how they came about that information. We took a 200KVA transformer to the village to change, their own which is 100KVA. It was a brand new 200KVA transformer. We are trying to upgrade all the transformers in this area. Infact, right now, that transformer in Guga village is the only 100 KVA still left in the whole of Zaria area. We decided to upgrade the transformers so that there will be chance for expansion. We explained to them but they resisted the change. So, we backed out. My men had started loosening the knots on the transformer, so the light was off for the area including, Shika and the environs. But when the villagers resisted the replacement, we stopped work. Since light was off, there was pressure from the chairman for us to restore electricity but I could not guarantee the safety of my staff if they went to work there. This, I explained to the chairman, so, he brought four soldiers here (to the NEPA office) to guard and protect the workers. So, they went to the village that day with the soldiers. But my men did not even go near the transformer. We decided that they should restore light to the other areas through the high-tension cable on the main road. It was while they were doing this that the villagers came and attacked the NEPA officials. They trooped out with weapon and the soldiers started shooting, we did not ask that soldiers should accompany us. It was the chairman who brought them. He pressurized us to restore light especially to the secretariat. We wanted to replace the transformer because we wanted to ensure that project demands are met by upgrading, to avoid power problems. Very soon that 100KVA transformer in Guga village will be overloaded. We cannot be held responsible for what happened. When contacted, the Giwa local government chairman declined comment. According to him, " the incident is still being investigated by the police, so, I cannot comment". OUR POSITION There is no doubt that what has the events that took place in Guga village is very tragic. There are however very fundamental issues that demand urgent answers.
OUR DEMANDS All these issues demand urgent answers both from the Chairman of the Local Government, the Army Authorities, the NEPA officials, the Police and the Government of Kaduna State. To answer these questions effectively and to get to the root of the problems the Kaduna State Government we demand the following:
To guarantee that independence and impartiality of the Commission, the Governor of Kaduna State must order the suspension of the Chairman of Giwa Local Government pending the conclusion of the work of the Commission. This is necessary because the Governor of Kaduna State had previously ordered the suspension pending investigation of the Chairman of Jamaa Local Government of Kaduna on grounds of financial impropriety. Unless this is done a very terrible impression will be created to the effect that the Government of Kaduna State values money more than the lives of its citizens. The people of Guga village do not have people min high places but they demand and deserve to be treated justly and humanly. Festus Okoye Executive Director 11/02/2000. |
|
Send mail to hrm@hrmonitor.org with questions or comments about
this web site.
|