2-IN-1 STORY: Southern Kaduna Crisis Can’t End Soon; Solution To Southern Kaduna Crisis Lies Outside Nigeria — Fulani Leader

Minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi, Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and his Deputy, Yusuf Bala Bantex during a meeting with community leaders and the representatives of JNI and CAN in Kaduna yesterday.

• Osinbajo Says Hatred, Anger Have Developed Over The Years • Urges Foreign Airlines To Use Kaduna Airport

Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday met with stakeholders in Southern Kaduna over the attacks and killings, lamenting that the violence in the area cannot be put to an end in a hurry because people have developed hatred and anger over the years due to the crisis.

The Guardian Nigeria report continues:

He was also in Kaduna to assess the level of progress at the Kaduna Airport ahead of the proposed diversion of flights from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

However, the meeting he directed Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai to convene had in attendance representatives of the religious bodies, traditional institutions, ethnic groups and the Fulani community.

Osinbajo, after listening to presentations from stakeholders, said it is unfortunate that bloodletting, which brings about bitterness and hate, has been allowed to be the order of the day, thereby making the crisis difficult to end.

The Acting President, who told the stakeholders that he had taken enough security briefing on the crisis, however, noted that violence, enmity and hate cannot solve the problem, but the process of peace-building must commence to gradually resolve the crisis.

“The crisis in Southern Kaduna cannot be ended in a hurry, because there is hate and anger. But how many more lives do we want to lose before we stop this crisis?

“We must, therefore, strive to put an end to this. Otherwise, it will consume everybody. Violence, enmity and hate cannot solve the problem we are going through. We must, therefore, begin a process of peace building,” Osinbajo said.

He added: “Let me say first that there is no question at all that many have suffered, families have lost loved ones, a lot of bloodletting has taken place in Southern Kaduna in the past few weeks and I want to express my sincere condolence to all of
those who have lost families and friends and who have been traumatised by the terrible things that have been going on in Southern Kaduna in the past few months.

“But I must say there is no question whatsoever that violence would never stop any of the problems we are experiencing today; there is no way we will resolve it that way.

“On this matter, I have read documents, quite a few of the reports, as a matter of fact, I have tried very hard to study the crisis in Southern Kaduna, including reports of past crises and since I got in today, I am also taking briefing from some of the senior officials of the armed forces and state security.

“I want to say that I don’t want us to be in a hurry. I am certainly not in a hurry, because I don’t believe that a crisis where there is so much bloodletting and hatred over the years can be resolved by a couple of meetings. No, I don’t believe that is possible.

“I have talked to the governor that what I would like to achieve is not a quick fix, but I want us to begin a process and I want to be a part of that process that will listen to each group separately and then get everyone together.

“We will take our time and as I said, to sift through whatever is required, so we can find a proper and lasting solution.”Osinbajo, however, pledged to convene meetings with representatives of CAN, JNI, MACBAN and other stakeholders separately.

El-Rufai in his opening remarks vowed that his administration would fish out and prosecute those who have participated in the killings or instigated killings in Kaduna State in the last 37 years.

He said his administration has identified some of those behind the crises and would bring culprits to book; hence the deployment of security and commencement of peace building efforts as panacea to permanently ending the Southern Kaduna menace.

El-Rufai commended Osinbajo for his usual assistance to the state government in its efforts to establish military formations in the troubled zone and securing the state at large.

Meanwhile, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), in a statement, urged the security agencies to intensify efforts, so that isolated killings of people on the farms would be a thing of the past.

It expressed optimism that the military would soon put an end to such guerilla and sniper attacks in the area, just as it commended other security agencies for combing bushes around attack-prone communities.

A statement issued by the National Public Relations Officer of SOKAPU, Mr. Yakubu Kuzamani, particularly expressed satisfaction with the security agencies for going into the bushes near villages like Goska, Ambam, Bakin Kogi axis in Jema’a Council, as well as Ashim in Kaura Council that were previously attacked by bandits.

The union reiterated its support for a permanent military presence in Southern Kaduna as a means of securing the area from terrorists who have turned the communities into killing fields.

Osinbajo, while fielding questions from journalists shortly after inspecting Kaduna Airport ahead of flights diversion from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, said the international community has been sensitised to endure the temporary arrangement.“We are persuading them that this is a good temporary arrangement,” he said.

Solution To Southern Kaduna Crisis Lies Outside Nigeria — Fulani Leader

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the assistant national secretary general of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has said that the solution to the lingering crisis in southern part of Kaduna state lies outside Nigeria.

Southern Kaduna has been experiencing violent crisis for years now. The latest spell of violence has claimed hundreds of lives.

Killings have continued deployment of security forces to the area.

The latest killings occurred on February 20 when unknown gunmen invaded communities in two local governments Jema’a and Kauru, killing at least 14 people.

The attacks have largely been blamed on Fulani herdsmen, said to be carrying out reprisal killings following the alleged killing of herdsmen and their livestock in the area during the 2011 post-election violence.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna recently, Mr. Abdullahi said most of the Fulani people involved in the killings were not Nigerians. Similar claim by the state government sparked outrage.

“It has to do with foreign nomads coming into the country. There are three or four international grazing routes, most of which passed through Kaduna state,” he said.

“Two of the routes are from Cameroun down through Lere and Kauru local governments, another one is from Chad Republic that came through southern part of Plateau state down to Zangon-Kataf and there is another one from Niger Republic through Kano/ Katsina down to Kaduna,” he said.

Mr. Abdullahi said it so happened that herders who were moving their cattle for greener pasture got caught up in the post-election violence.

“Many of them were killed including their cows and some of the cows were taken away. Those of them who survived returned to their homes and reported what happened.

“We got to know that most of them spread across Cameroon and Chad swore to come back for revenge. We therefore, advised the governor at the time, the Late Yakowa, to take urgent action.

“The governor agreed with us and formed a committee to go and meet with the Fulani leaders wherever they are and reconcile with them,” he said.

Yakowa’s effort

Mr. Abdullahi said the late governor also agreed with the advice given to him to compensate all those who experienced losses in the attacks, and he agreed.

“As a result, we started meeting with all those we know have been affected. I was mandated to go to Cameroon and Chad Republic.

“My first port of call is to a Fulani leader I know that lost over 200 cows and about six boys. I arrived his house in the evening and told him I was an emissary of the governor of Kaduna state over the unfortunate killing of his boys and cows.

“He asked me to go and rest since I came from a far place and that he would talk to me in the morning. Early in the morning, he invited me for breakfast and I narrated to him my mission.

“He said he was shocked that the governor had the guts to send someone to him after ordering the killing of his boys because they are Muslims and I told him that his information was wrong.

“I said I am a Muslim and truly the governor is a Christian, but, I also told him that most Muslims like me in Kaduna are willing to take the risk I took for Yakowa because he was a good man and would never order the killing of anyone.

“The man said he agreed with me and if anything, the fact that the governor agreed something was wrong and took the step he was taking showed that he was a good leader of his people. Tell him I have forgiven him, I don’t need any compensation and that he has a new emissary in me as far as Cameroon is concerned.

“I will make sure I reach out to all the other affected families in Cameroon on behalf of your governor,” he said.

Mr. Abdullahi added that his host took him to a warehouse within the man’s estate and what he saw shocked him.

“I saw all sorts of sophisticated weapons and I was told they were kept in readiness for a revenge attack in Southern Kaduna,” he said.

He also said the man invited him for a “short trip” into the forest and he saw a large camp and several young men receiving all forms of training on warfare.

“Shockingly, these boys were being trained by white men,” he said.

Mr. Abdullahi said he bid the man farewell but could not proceed to Chad Republic as arranged because he was running short of money.

“I decided to return to Kaduna and I met the governor the next day and gave him my report.

“The governor told me that he was travelling the next day to the South South and would remobilize us to go to Chad for the second part of our assignment, unfortunately, Governor Yakowa died in a helicopter crash,” he said.

Mr. Abdullahi said when former Governor Ramalan Yero took over, they met with him and gave him the report of what had been done so far and the need to complete the task.

“Our fear is that any other family affected in the attacks would have known that we were in Cameroon to appeal, especially those in Chad Republic.

“Our failure to go and meet them as far as they are concerned is because they do not matter. I expressed that fear to the former governor. He simply collected the report and said he would get in touch; he never did,” he said.

The Fulani leader said it is good that Governor El-Rufai has continued from where the late Yakowa stopped.

Mr. El-Rufai admitted at the peak of the crisis that he sent payments to the suspected killers outside of Nigeria, as compensation for their losses.

The governor defended his action as being in continuation of what Mr. Yakowa did.