Rep urges talks to resolve Southern Kaduna crisis
Mr Amos Magaji, the member representing Zango Kataf / Jaba Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, has called for dialogue in resolving the security challenges bedevilling Southern Kaduna.
Magaji made the call in an interview with newsmen in Zango Kataf Local Government Area, which was hard-hit by recent attacks.
According to Magaji, it was only through dialogue that the warring entities could iron out their differences and find a way to co-exist in peace. He said, “Dialogue is the way forward before and after every crisis.
“When we dialogue with the different groups that are disagreeing, we will find a solution. There is no way you would say you won’t live with any tribe or religion other than yours in any part of Nigeria.
“It is not possible,” he added. According to him, putting humanity above tribal, religious and political considerations would also ensure quick resolution of the crisis.
“We need to think of humanity first before any other thing. Humanity before religion; humanity before tribe, and humanity before political party affiliation.
“Because you are first a human being before you are Christian or Muslim, PDP or APC or before you are a member of any tribe.
“If you have respect for every human being, then when we have a crisis like this it would be easier for us to manage.
“But if you put tribe, religion and party ahead of humanity, you will always end up having more problems,” he said. He lauded the recent deployment of special forces in Southern Kaduna by the military, noting that it would go a long way to ‘ensure peace in our communities’.
On calls in some quarters for the execution of Major-General Zamani Lekwot (rtd) as the only way for peace to reign in the region, he urged those making such calls to seek redress in court, Daily Times gathered.
“If any group believes Lekwot should be executed, then they should go to court because his acquittal was through a competent court of jurisdiction. We are in a civilian rule where everything has to go through the rule of law. Let’s respect the rule of law,” he said.
The lawmaker implored victims of the attacks who had the means to rebuild their homes to do so without necessarily waiting for government. “If you have the means to rebuild, go ahead, don’t wait for the government because the government cannot do everything for us.
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“We have reached out to government, but we don’t know when the help of government will come and in what form or how much the help will be,” he said. He prayed to God for healing for everyone affected by the crisis and called for forgiveness on every side amid peace-building efforts.
“The key thing is God healing the heart of everyone that has been touched, be it a Kataf, Hausa or Fulani man, our prayer is that God will heal their hearts and also touch them to find a place in their heart to forgive one another even as we look for a solution,” he added.
