By Nokai Origin
When you embark on tour of
places affected by conflict as the job demands of you as a Defence and Security Corespondent, you get to experience the good, the bad and the ugly side. This particular journey took I and my team to Kaduna State and Southern Kaduna to be precise.
Voice of Nigeria in
collaboration with the Nigerian Army Headquarters embarks on tours such as
these to do fact findings on the efforts being made by the security agencies in
conflict zones to bring about peace.
The tours also affords
us the opportunities to speak with other stake holders like humanitarian services working within the conflict areas to bring succour as well as members of the affected communities and victims of these conflicts themselves. This we do to find out the triggers of these conflicts and ways of ending and
avoiding them. The journeys are
usually very hectic with little sleep as we try as much as possible to cover many communities and local governments affected by clashes and violence.
On this one week journey we had
three teams: one for Zaria, one for Birnin Qwari and the one I led went to
Southern part of Kaduna. The rest had about two days while my team and I had a week to cover parts that extend to the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of Operation Safe Haven. After registering
presence with the army authorities in Kaduna who usually show us their areas of
operations, the journey took us to Kajuru Local Government one of the troubled
spots that has been on the news within the period owing to clashes that displaced many.
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| Picture showing I and my coleague carrying twins born at one of the IDPs camps in Kajuru Local Government. |
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| Displace persons waiting to receive daily provisions from NGOs and Government Agencies. |
While in Kajuru, we spoke with
the people affected, went into the IDP’s camps and heard the pathetic stories of the
survivors of the unfortunate incidences and the humanitarian efforts being made
to give them reliefs.
In one of those camps we found a woman who went into labour in the thick of the conflict after escaping from their home, and gave birth to twins with the help of the older women within the camp without proper access to hospital assistance or adequate food and clothing for the babies like many other women who had to give birth in those situations. I remember my coleague and I decided to sowittle seeds into their lives from what we had on us and it was mate with so much gratitude.
The devastation caused by the conflicts in many of the areas visited from this trip in the North West and others around the North East, shows what we can easily make of our world by the decisions we make now, the actions we take now and the way we treat those around us.
The Castle
After finishing the
business of the trip, towards one of the last evenings and we're departing Kajuru to head back to the
state capital Kaduna, one of our guide asked if I have heard of or seen a place known
as Kajuru Castle. The thought that came
to my mind was this must be a Palace of one of the local Chiefs.
But to my pleasant surprise, our guide
educated me and said I needed to see it for myself to understand what he was talking
about. He however pointed out
that it is a place that requires accending up a hill like you are hiking. Remember the tensions in this area was still very fresh and a security risk to be found moving about let alone exploring, but we were willing and curious enough and that was all our guide needed.
Castle in the wilderness A few minutes from the
local government the driver halted the vehicle and we disembarked as our guide
led the way through a canopy of mango and Cachew threes following a narrow path. In my mind, I thought to myself, what have we gotten ourselves into at the same time I had inner peace and assurance that I was safe.
Upon emerging from the
shadows of the three canopies, VYALA! There before us stood The Kajuru Castle, seating on top a hill that requires ascending to get to and so we embarked on the climb to the Peak of the huge rock that houses the castle. It was an exhausting one but the adventurer in me couldn't wait to get to the top to see in full what was up there.
More than Half way the ascend And behold, it was a beautiful sight, an architectural masterpiece towering above this huge rock. It was a
breath of fresh air from all the sights of destructions I had seen so far on
the trip.
Ascending the castle is
enough hiking to burn as much calories and being a photo lover, I couldn’t get
enough of the scenery and beauty. The Castle is a luxury villa, built between 1981 and 1989
by a German expatriate, housing 150 guess at a time. I got to learn that you have to book through the internet to be able to go into the Castle as a tourist, but ours was an exception.
Aside the architectural
designed forged with granite stones, everything about this Castle, is a sight
to take in. From the flowers that greet you at the entrance to the outdoor huts
for relaxation, to the blue water swimming pull which has its peculiar water
purifying system.
And to add a touch of
wildlife, I noticed a crocodile pond strategically located in a corner and Okin
birds seating at the highest point of the castle and the sorrounding flowers and wall plants adds more to the beauty of the
environment.
Crocodile Pond, live and active
The okin birds in the background 
It takes a journey of
about 45 kilometers from Kaduna to get to the Castle. The air up there is so blissful, I felt one with the sorrounding nature and got me excited about the great potentials of tourism in the country and the many other locations the country is so blessed with if only we can properly harness and stop focussing on the issues that result to conflicts in the first place.
The experience remains
one of the best gains of the journey and one I cannot easily forget. It has
become a point of duty for me to find out anything unique about any place I am
opportune to travel to and share it with the world.
Where next? 🤔
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