El-Rufai reveals cause of killings in Southern Kaduna
Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed cause of the recent incessant killings in the Southern part of the State.
Speaking at the security summit held at Government House to find solutions to the Southern Kaduna crisis, El-Rufai said ‘’The current crisis is a result of ‘the tragic aftermath of events of June 5, 2020, when youths from two communities clashed over farmlands in Zangon-Kataf and the upsurge of violence in the same area that started on 11 June, 2020.’’
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The governor blamed the killings on what he described as clashes between youths of two communities over farmland in Zangon-Kataf which later spread to other parts of Southern Kaduna.
He said, “Like an unwanted virus, the violence has spread to and has necessitated extraordinary measures in four local government areas in southern Kaduna.”
“We answered the decade old demand for a permanent military base by working with the Federal Government to deploy a forward operating base of the Nigerian Army in Kafanchan.
“Our government purchased an estate to provide accommodation for a permanent mobile police squadron in the area. Also deployed in the area are troops from Operation Safe Haven and Nigerian Army Special Forces, complemented by two mobile police squadrons,” El-Rufai said.
“No one should be allowed to get away with crime just because they can hide it under an ethno-religious veneer.”
El-Rufai noted that his administration had done everything within its constitutional powers to bring peace to Southern Kaduna and all parts of the state.
Daily Times gathered that he assured that his government would continue to to create and sustain a constituency for peace by persuading elected officials, traditional rulers and community leaders in the affected areas to live up to their responsibilities, respect diversity and the rule of law.
