The slain 32-year-old Hausa pregnant woman, Fatima Jibril, four of her children and other, killed by the gunmen terrorizing the South East region of Nigeria, has been buried at Hausa cemetery, Onitsha, Anambra State, amidst sorrow and tears.
Mrs. Jibril, an indigene of Adamawa State, was buried alongside her four beautiful children: Fatima, Khadijah, Hadiza and Zaituna, aged nine, seven, five and two with others on Tuesday.
She was nine months pregnant. The general secretary Arewa community in Anambra state, Barrister Mahmud Ibrahim Imam, who made the announcement in a statement he signed and issue to Newsmen in Onitsha, on Thursday, called for calm.
Barrister Imam, who narrated further on how the barbaric act happens on that evil Sunday, via the statement, said; What happened was on Sunday 22 may 2022. We woke up peaceful, but later in the day we started receiving calls from our members from various locations of the state that the so called unknown gun had launched series of attacks on them, which led to the deaths of about 15 persons.
“That of Orumba local govt was the most trending which involved a pregnant woman, her name is Fatima Jibrin with her 4 kids were murdered in the middle of the road by this faceless and wicked people, called unknown gunmen.
All the masacre happened on the same day.
We are saying, this is a well planned and targeted on our people only. And Point of emphasis is the fact that those killings were not the first that such attacks and killings were unleashed on Arewa people in Anambra state since after the last governorship election that was conducted late last year.
“Even on the 18th of April 2022 seven Arewa were brutally killed by the same gunmen at night at Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra which we wrote to the state government but even a condolences was not extended to us by the governor or any of the leaders of thoughts in the state.
We have the video of their burial at our cemetery in onitsha. We have buried all of them in our cementery here in Onitsha, Anambra State.
“We are mourning and also living in a state of extreme fear in the whole of Anambra state.
“It should be noted that if not for our concerted efforts and serious resistance of not taking the corpses back to the North and they are from different states only Almighty Allah knows what would befall our igbo brothers residing over there as result of retaliation for the heinous and barbaric actions meted on Arewa people in the Eastern Nigeria, particularly in Anambra state.
Note: Of all these Senseless and unprovoked killings of Innocent Souls in the guise of unknown gunmen it was on record that that Sunday only, Northerners were affected but to our greatest shock and amazement the state government through the press secretary of state governor, Mr. Christian Aburime, released a statement that those killings that occurred on Sunday has nothing to do with ethnic or religious connection, on that I responded by challenging the governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to tender any form of evidence that proves otherwise, till this moment they couldn’t tender anything to backup their position.
Instead, to confirm to statement and position on the matter they later issued another press release at night condemning the killings which they earlier refused to acknowledge.
What type of country are we?
Arewa people are highly discouraged and disappointed, residing in Anambra State.
We are peace loving people and we have been living peacefully with our host community for centuries over 200 years in the state.
We are calling on both state and the Federal government to intervene just to bring to and end the killings going on in the South East, particularly Anambra state.
I am revealing all these things because I am on ground, saw everything that happened we have videos and pictures as evidence. I am equally calling on the state government to intensify their efforts in collaboration with all the security agencies and critical stakeholders in the state to avert further killings of settlers, Northerners and every human resident in the state.
Peaceful, unity, harmony and mutual respect is the only solution to this unrest.
Soludo, is the Governor for all people in Anambra state because we all voted for him therefore we should be treated equally as humans regardless of ethnicity or religion affialations, the statement concluded.
News Echo gathered that there have been a lot of condemnation to that effect, particularly, the gruesome murder of the pregnant woman and her four children at Isolo, in Orumba North Local Government Area, among them are; the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, a Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the killer’s gunmen.
The state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, on his effort, has pledged justice for the slain pregnant Fatima and her four children, vowing that no stone would be left unturned in fishing out and dealing with their assailants.
Soludo has, without mincing words, described the May 20, 2022, killing of pregnant Fatima and her four children by unidentified assailants as “barbaric and unacceptable”.
In a statement signed by Christian Aburime, his Press Secretary, the governor vowed to fish out the perpetrators and ensure they were dealt with according to law.
Soludo’s pledge resonated in the observation by Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa who described the killing as an insensate act of terrorism.
Adegboruwa noted that the concept of national unity will be a mirage if citizens cannot be safe in any location they find themselves.
Noting that the killing is unacceptable, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said, “Lady Fatima, an indigene of Adamawa State by birth, was gunned down by “unknown gunmen”, recently. Her four innocent children were also mowed down in this insensate act of terrorism, recklessly perpetrated without any justification whatsoever.
“No reason has been given and none could have been proffered for this criminal act of brutality, extended even to toddlers. There should be no hiding place for the barbarians; so Governor Charles Soludo owes the nation the sacred duty to do all in his powers to fish out those who killed Lady Fatima and her children, in their prime”.
Soludo said that all law-abiding Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religion, were entitled to reside and or do business in any part of the country, including the Southeast and in Anambra without fear of unlawful harassment, molestation or attack of any kind, under any guise by anyone or group.
He said “no group or Nigerian is justified to harass, attack or kill any citizen of Nigeria or anyone resident in Nigeria under any guise whatsoever unless in lawful execution of a court sentence.
“Perpetrators of these heinous atrocities and their sponsors are testing the resolve of the Government and people of Anambra State, but I assure you that efforts are underway to fish out and bring to justice whoever is behind the criminal activities.
“All Nigerians living or doing business in Anambra are assured, of the resolve of the State government to ensure adequate protection of their lives and properties at all times,” he stated.
The Government of Anambra State has condoled with Mr. Jubril Ahmed, the husband of late Hariria Jubril who was killed alongside her four children.
News Echo learnt, that Governor Soludo including the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Paul Nwosu, his Women and Social Development counterpart, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Christian Aburime, among others met with him at the Cattle market, Amansea, in Awka North Local Government Area of the State.
The Information Commissioner, who conveyed the condolence message from the Governor and Ndi Anambra to the family of the departed, explained that it was not a targeted attack on a particular tribe or religion in Nigeria.
Mr Nwosu expressed shock how people could be killed in cold blood, noted that the Governor would have attended but for urgent security concerns he is attending to, stressing that ndi Igbo and other tribes have lived together for so long in peace and harmony, urging them to go about their lawful businesses.
Emotionally laden Commissioner Obinabo stated that Anambra people are largely travelers who are receptive of people from other tribes, appealing to the gunmen to have a rethink for the sake of their unborn generation and stop killing fellow human beings as such doesn’t pay.
Leader of Miyetti Allah in the South East, Allahaji Gidado Sidikki, who described the incident as horrible, thanked the governor for sending the delegation, explaining that they have lost many people, stressing that many of their people are already travelling back to the North, as a result of the incessant killings of their members across the South East region, occassion by the gunmen.
While pledging their readiness to continue working the government to enthrone peace in the state, Mallam Gidado noted that their people living and doing business in Anambra are aware that they are not the target recalling the lawmaker who was also killed in a gruesome manner.
The deceased’s husband, Alhaji Jubril lacked words to express himself, though the Sarkin Chamber of Anambra State, Usman Farang prayed that violence should stop.
Chairman, Amansea Cattle market, Alhaji Bello Maigari, younger sister to the late Harira, Suweiba Musa, as well as the Hausa Community in Amansea, was present during the visit.
Alhaji Jubril works as a security guard in Anambra State.
Before her death, Fatima Jibril was aged 32, while her four children: Fatima, Khadijah, Hadiza and Zaituna, were aged nine, seven, five and two respectively.
