Posted by Dominic Gambo Yahaya, the paramount ruler of the Atyap in the Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has issued a plea for the international community, organizations, and individuals to help the Atyap people recover from the devastating attacks they endured, which resulted in the loss of lives and property.
From 2020 to late 2023, the Atyapland was attacked on a major scale by alleged Fulani militias, resulting in the deaths of over 500 people, injuries to many more, and the destruction of property, including farmlands.
As the father of the chiefdom, my aspiration is to ensure the moral and educational upbringing of the orphans irrespective of their religion or tribe but to ensure they become useful to themselves and society,” the paramount ruler said on Thursday in his palace, Zangon Kataf, when he launched the Jumma Gambo Yahaya Foundation to provide for the education of hundreds of orphans from nursery school to university.
He claims that the attacks that took place in the chiefdom between 2020 and 2023 caused tremendous misery for the people because of the numerous deaths, burned homes, and destroyed food, property, and farmlands.
He declared, “Things in the chiefdom are changing. The attacks harmed the local economy, markets, and the social well-being of the people; as a result, rural residents are having a hard time getting to their farmlands out of fear; and with object poverty staring them in the face, providing for the education of their children and the orphans has become a serious challenge.
The federal and state governments, he said, must act immediately to save the people of the chiefdom from their dire predicament.
Francis Sani, chairman of the local government council, said that the government has begun paying the school fees of orphans left behind as a result of the attacks, and that the government is also paying the medical bills of those who were attacked.