Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman Northern Traditional Rulers Council Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has called on politicians behind the killings in Southern Kaduna to stop the act or be consumed by the crisis.
The Sultan, who described the killings in Southern Kaduna as “madness that has to be stopped immediately,” said “enough is enough as no man in his right senses go on a killing spree of innocent people under whatever guise”.
Addressing the Northern Traditional Rulers Council’s Executive meeting Monday at Lugard Hall Kaduna, the Sultan lambasted politicians as forces behind unrests in the southern part of the state.
He, however, warned the people of the state and Nigeria in general to beware as “no politicians mean well for them. You keep on igniting killings based on ethno-religious differences because it is the innocent children that are killed while that of the elite are protected.”
In his remarks, Kaduna state Governor Nasir el-Rufai reminded the meeting that, the Southern Kaduna crises had prevailed for the past 40 years since the first Kasuwan Magani riot.
He said: “Kaduna is a mini Nigeria with over 52 ethnic groups, meaning that 10 percent of Nigeria’s ethnic groups are from Kaduna state. The danger of it is that, crimes committed by criminals for their own selfish motives are given ethno-religious interpretations.”
On efforts to address the menace, the governor said “a military base, Mobile Police Depot, Air Force and strike force personnel have been deployed to the zone.
“Also, equipment like drones and GSM trackers are being used which had helped to neutralise thousands of the bandits in the state. We also set up a Peace Commission to mitigate between the aggrieved people.”
CAN
In a related development, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna state chapter, has said some people were playing politics with the Southern Kaduna crisis by giving it different narratives.
CAN made the comments in a statement issued Monday by the state chairman of the body, Rev. John Joseph Hayab while on a visit to Mercy Camp Zonkwa area of the state.
The body said the crisis had re-awakened many Nigerians from their slumber of its seriousness and how to come up with possible ways of tackling the problem.
He said they were in the camp to present relief materials and to see for themselves what many of the victims of the crisis were passing through.
He said: “We should not allow this challenge to create fear among us because if we allow it, there will be hunger. People will not be able to go to farm. We hope they (victims) will be able to put back structures and continue with life so that children will return when schools are eventually reopened for classes,” he observed.”
Hayab assured that believers should hold onto their faith, believing that after the calamity, comes blessings to the people.
“Persecuting and creating hardship will make us move forward in life. The present situation the Church has found itself should challenge people to look inward and do something better for a living,” he explained.
