The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, a government agency confirmed yesterday
that the crisis in Southern Kaduna between Fulani herds-men and the natives which has lasted months claimed 204 lives. The Catholic Church in its report however put the casualty figure at 808 as of December 2016, a figure that was disputed by the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris who did not give a contrary number. The Catholic Church also said 1,422 houses, 16 Churches, 19 shops, and one primary school were destroyed. This is just as former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubkar led members of the National Peace Committee to a meeting with Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state yesterday in what he said was a search for a sustainable solution to the protracted violence in Southern Kaduna. NEMA North West zonal Coordinator, Musa Ilella told online medium, Premium Times that the figure was for two Local Government Areas affected by the crisis, namely Kafanchan and Chikun LGAs and covers October, November and December, 2016 and early January, 2017.
According to him,”four districts in Kafanchan LGA namely:
Linte,Goska,Dangoma and Kafanchan town recorded 194 deaths. Chikun LGA on the
other hand recorded about 10 deaths, making a total of 204 so far,” he said
adding that there was no record of any injured victim in the hospital. Governor
Nasir El Rufai had said the attackers were foreign Fulani herdsmen, who were
avenging past attacks on them and their livestock. The state and federal
governments have been accused of not doing enough to end the bloodshed. The
presidency announced last week the deployment of anti-riot police and soldiers
to the area. National Peace Committee meets el-Rufai. Meanwhile, the National
Peace Committee team that visited Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai
included Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja Catholic Arch Diocese, the Sultan of
Sokoto, Alh. Abubakar Sa’ad, and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Hassan
Mathew Kukah, among others Speaking to the Press after the meeting, the silky
white bearded former military ruler said: “We are here due to the recent
happenings in Southern Kaduna. And from here within the week, we are going to
meet with other stakeholders, religious leaders, the Chiefs in the area and
also visit the site where these problems are and discuss with the people. After
which we will now sit down and see what we think should be done. “Then, we will
come back to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government.
These clashes and killings are not limited to Kaduna state; it is something
that is engulfing the country. We therefore want to make sure that peace reigns
in Nigeria, to make sure that people know that we are together, we have to live
in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take. We are
reaching a situation in the country where human life doesn’t mean anything to
people and this is wrong. “There is no religion on earth or anywhere that
preaches violence. So this is why we are here today. We thank the governor and
his team for receiving us. One of the points that the governor drew our
attention to was the way people would take law into their hands and go scot
free. This is impunity that must be checked. These are some of the issues we discussed.
“Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other, so we will prevail on the people
to be patient, try to forgive one another and to be each other’s keeper. We
must live together, we must find solution to the problems to sit down and talk
to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are
talking to each other”. On his part, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, a native of
Zangon Kataf, in Southern Kaduna told newsmen that the visit of the committee
was to show solidarity with the people of Kaduna State. He said: “The National
Peace Committee members are in Kaduna to hear first-hand what exactly is
happening and what they can do with the hope to find a way forward based on the
situation. “What we are doing now is trying to bring about peace. We didn’t
just hold the election, we are looking at how we can achieve peace and stability.
I think what the people of Kaduna State, including the government should be
doing now is to look into how we can achieve peace and development and I think that
is the reason we have democracy. “So whatever contribu-tions anybody can make,
we need to make it”, he said.
source: Vangurd.
source: Vangurd.
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