Kaduna killings: Northern Govs, Sultan, Emirs meet as PDP seeks foreign inquiry

In a bid to find lasting solution to the lingering violence in Sothern Kaduna, Kaduna state, North-Western part of the country, the 19 governors in Northern Nigeria, on Monday, met with the Sultan of Sokoto and chairmen of councils of traditional rulers across the 19 states, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and other traditional rulers in the region.

The meeting was to help find solution to the crisis in which hundreds have been killed since last year in clashes between Fulani herdsmen and locals of the area.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for an international inquiry into the Southern Kaduna massacre.

This is even as the party condemned the statement credited to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity (SSA), Garba Shehu, on Channels Television yesterday during which he alleged that the killings in Southern Kaduna is partly the fault of the PDP because it is the only senatorial district in the North West with a PDP Senator.

The opposition PDP, in a statement yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said that it has little faith that those at the helm of affairs at the state and national levels will do justice in the matter.

The party equally called on Garba Shehu to tender an unreserved apology to all Nigerians for his unguarded, reckless and irresponsible statement. The party warned that should Garba Shehu failed to tender the said apology, it will be forced to call on President Buhari to relieve him of his duties.

The PDP said, “we condemn in totality the statement credited to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity (SSA), Garba Shehu, on Channels Television today (yesterday), wherein he shamelessly alleged that the killings in Southern Kaduna is partly the fault of the PDP because it is the only Senatorial District in the North West with PDP Senator. How sad!

“We are baffled that such a callous, irresponsible and insensitive statement could come from a person who speaks for the President of Nigeria.

“This shows the extent to which every issue in the country today is viewed from the APC’s and the Presidency’s extremely narrow and jaundiced partisan political prism.”

Speaking at the meeting, which took place at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, the Sultan expressed concern over the use of places of religious worship to preach hatred, saying, preaching hatred and violence divide citizens, rather than strengthen unity as a people.

He said one of the numerous reasons why violence has continued to thrive in the region is impunity, which has seen culprits go unpunished.

He said in view of the threats and dimension the crises had taken, the traditional rulers from the region would back any action that is being taken by the Northern States Governors Forum.

“Let us collectively as one people say enough is enough,” the Sultan added.

Also speaking, chairman of the Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF) and governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima, noted that managing the diverse culture that is inherent in the country was a major challenge and is indeed a litmus test for leadership, good governance and progress not just in Northern Nigeria, but in the entire global society.

“Our backwardness in education, pervasive poverty and persistent insecurity are amongst the basis of this extraordinary meeting,” he said.

Shetima said that the South West and South East regions of the country have remained comparatively more prosperous.

“Some may argue that theirs are societies with common tribes while ours in Northern Nigeria, is the multi-ethnic reality of the African mix, as some researchers call it. This African-mix is ordinarily a comparative advantage and we can make it so.

“Poverty, poverty and I say again, poverty, is to many of us, the number one monster dragging backward our northern Nigeria

“For instance, in June, 2013, we recorded a good number of extremely poor persons, who were recruited for as little as N5,000 to either spy on soldiers and report their vulnerability to insurgents, attack and set schools ablaze by late night or in some cases, poor old women were paid similar amounts by insurgents, to either keep arms in their huts or smuggle arms from one point to another.

“One case I always remember is that of one Musa Grema, a 13-year-old boy who revealed that he accepted N5,000 to set three of our primary schools ablaze and also spy on soldiers, because his parents relied on him for their feeding,” he said.

Also speaking, the Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, said the traditional rulers were the closest to the grassroots, and hold the ace to resolving some of the crisis.

He called on them to impress it upon their subjects that ensuring security is a business of all in their domains.

Recall that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), had said that 204 people have been killed in the crisis, but the figure has been disputed, with the Catholic Church putting the death toll at 808 early January.

The federal and Kaduna State governments have been accused of not doing enough to end the killings.

At least 15 out of the 19 states governors or their deputies attended the opening session.

They include Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong; Katsina state governor, Aminu Masari; Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima; and Kebbi state governor, Atiku Bagudu.

Others at the meeting were Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Niger state governor, Sani Bello; Jigawa state governor, Ababakar Badaru, and Adamawa state governor, Jibrilla Bindow.

Benue, Kogi, Zamfara and Nasarawa states were represented by their deputies.

Emirs of Kano, Zazzaua, Etsu Nupe, Emir of Zuru, Gwandu,Yauri,Bida,Wukari,Shehu of Borno were also in attendance.