EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna
Governor Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai has admitted that terrorists are everywhere in Kaduna state, not just in Southern Kaduna, describing those who he said, have taken to the social media space to promote hate, as miscreants, aggravating the security situation and giving it some religious and ethnic colouration.
Briefing the press in Hausa, after a meeting with security officials in Kashim Ibrahim House, el-Rufai said that miscreants from Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and outside Nigeria are trying to promote the Southern Kaduna killings as ethnic and religious; even going as far as asking people to take the law into their hands. While assuring that these people would be brought to book, he tasked traditional leaders, religious leaders and political office holders in the affected areas to speak the truth about the happenings, as failing to do so would make the government take serious action.
He stated that the terorrists have denied farmers access to their farmlands in Giwa, Igabi and Chikun local governments and the northern parts of the state and not just Southern Kaduna, disclosing that the meeting with security officials was to hear what is being done by security agencies in the state to deal with the challenge; other measures that need to be in place to ensure that farmers are able to go back to their farms in Giwa, Igabi, Chikun, to restore peace and tranquility to Southern Kaduna.
While assuring that the Kaduna State Peace Commission is on ground working around peace building with the communities, he revealed little can be achieved if the people in the area fail to embrace peace as security agents cannot be everywhere.
Reacting to Governor el-Rufai’s position, the Senator representing Kaduna South senatorial district, Chief Danjuma Tella La’ah expressed his dissatisfaction, pointing out that “the tensed security situation owes much to el-Rufai’s refusal to put the necessary measures in place to curtail the security situation, rather, the governor is always claiming not to know what is happening in Southern Kaduna. People should not be punished for not voting the governor as their popular candidate in the 2019 elections.”
Leader of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, Mr Jonathan Asake, believes the government is promoting a narrative to justify killings each time it happens.
Asake said, “Despite the capacity and effective mechanisms to assess the situation in Southern Kaduna, government authorities have not been forthcoming with the truth about insecurity in the area. The vulnerable women and children who are mostly killed in the unabated attacks on defenceless homes and communities suggests that is an invasion upon our communities.
“The government and officials are refusing to come clean and stand for humanity. Instead of managing diversity, the Governor of Kaduna has decided to capitalize on fault lines to divide the people further.”
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