Police raises doubts over el-Rufai’s Casualty Figures in Kajuru killings

Abuja – The last over the crisis and killings in Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna State is yet to be heard and may not just be resolved so quickly owing to allegations and counter allegations over the dicey issue.

This is just as the Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday debunked and disowned the casualty figures given by Governor Nasir el-Rufai on the alleged number of people killed in Kajuru Local Government Area which he claimed were Fulani.

Governor el-Rufai had announced on Tuesday in Abuja after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and security chiefs that the number had risen to about 130.

However, the Kaduna state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmad AbdulRahman told journalists in his office on Thursday that he advised Governor el-Rufai against releasing the casualty figures since investigation was still at an embryonic stage.

CP AbdulRahman further said; “I have told the governor that figures at this stage should be avoided. As far as the police is concerned, we are still investigating and it is too early to give out any figure.” The Kaduna police boss assured that the police would not allow itself to be stampeded in carrying out a thorough investigation on the crisis, stressing that the police state command remains committed to doing a thorough job.

AbdulRahman said that it is possible that after the investigation, the figures could be more or less, depending on the final report.

During a visit to the crisis area on Wednesday by a select group journalists, Malam Adamu Lawal said he was personally involved in the burial of some of the victims even as he took correspondents to a spot which he claimed was where he personally buried no fewer than 37 persons, including his father, mother; two wives and his grandchild.

Asked if he had pictures of the deceased and evidences of the corpses he claimed to have buried in the shallow grave, Lawal said the police and the Nigerian Army are in possession of photographs of the corpses saying that the security agencies took snapshots of the victims as they were being buried.

In the words of Lawal: “I do not have the pictures, but the police and soldiers who were present when we were burying them took pictures and they can show the pictures to you. These are some of the sticks (pointing to some two sticks) used by the Adara people to kill the Fulani.

“It took me about five days, beginning from Wednesday, to complete the burial of the victims.”

But responding to claims that the police are in possession of photos of victims as they were being buried, the Kaduna police Commissioner denied the claim, saying that only soldiers were alleged to have been present during the burial of the victims and not the police.