Southern Kaduna crisis: 240 killed, 7,000 displaced – El-Rufai
//Godwin Ekosin, Kaduna N/w Nigeria//
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has said 240 people have lost their dear lives while 7,000 displaced in renewed reprisal killings in Southern part of the state.
The governor, who stated this while featuring on Aljazeera Television on Tuesday evening, attributed the quoted figure to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He insisted that, frequent attacks on southern part of the state was reprisal by international pastoralists who were affected during the 2011 post election violence where he said about 800 people died.
He said, “According to NEMA official report, 240 people died while 7,000 displaced during the renewed attack.
“We are not one that created the problem. It was there before we came on board. We have had eight or nine attacked within the past 26 years in the area. We are doing everything possible to solve the problem”.
El-Rufai, who frowned at attempt by some people to frustrate his peace efforts in troubled southern Kaduna reiterated the commitment of his administration to protect lives and property of people resident in the state.
He also challenge the President of Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki on his call for probing of mill ngs in southern Kaduna saying, “he didn’t understand what he was saying because he’s not the one governing the state. I am the the one governing the ststae and we are doing all we can to ensure everyone is save”.
But on the contrary, Counsel to Fulani herders, Barrister Mohammad Tukur who also featured on the programme said, the renewed attacks are between sitting Fulani herders and people of southern Kaduna.
In his own contribution, Public Relations Officer of Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), Reuben Buhari faulted the revisitation of grazing reserves in the area by the state government arguing that, it is an important threat to peace building efforts in the area.
Also contributing, an Human Right Activist, Ndi Kato called on both the federal and state government not to play politics with human lives but deal decisively with the crisis with a view to bringing the perpetrators to judgement.