TheCable

Ahmed Abdulrahaman, Kaduna state police commissioner, has failed to confirm the casualty figure Nasir el-Rufai, the governor, released on the killings in Kajuru, Kaduna state.

El-Rufai had initially said 66 people were killed in the attacks which took place last week.

Trouble started on Sunday night when gunmen invaded Angwan Barde, an Adara community, and killed 11 people.

On Monday, angry youth in the community were said to have embarked on reprisal attacks, killing an unspecified number of people.

At a press conference in Aso Rock on Tuesday, the governor said the death toll had risen to 130.

But speaking with journalists on Thursday, Abdulrahaman said the police were still investigating and the outcome will be made public.

“Investigation is ongoing and the results would be made public in due course,” he said.

He said all the casualty figures given could not be verified until investigation is over.

The police commissioner called on both the Adara natives and their Fulani counterparts “to be nationalistic in thought and not ethnocentric.”

“Nigerians are watching and waiting on when investigation would be completed and results made public as promised,” he said.

The death toll had generated controversies, with Chidi Odinkalu, a human rights lawyer, accusing the governor of playing politics with lives.

But that was laid to rest Farou Yahaya, general officer commanding (GOC), 1 division of the Nigerian army, said 66 people were killed.