El-Rufai under fire over Southern Kaduna killings
From Noah Ebije and Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, has rejected Kaduna State Government’s White Paper on its clash with the officers of the Nigerian Army on December 15, 2015.
The state government, on Monday, released a White Paper on the clash and branded members of the IMN as terrorists, having banned the movement in October, based on the recommendartions of its Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
Regardless, addressing journalists, yesterday, Head of IMN’s Shuhadah Foundation, Sheikh AbdulHamid Bello alleged that the state government ignored 99 percent of the recommendations of the commission and recognised only those which called its restriction.
Asked if IMN is a registered organisation, Sheikh Bello said all organisations under IMN are registered, and added that, “IMN is not a body, it is a phenomenon. It is not an organisation, it is like Islam and Christianity. Can you register Islam, can you register Christianity?. So, all organisations under IMN are registered.
“From our preliminary analysis of the so-called retroactive White Paper, Kaduna state government rejected 99 percent of the core recommendations of the Jcommission and only accepted the ones which suggested the unconstitutional restriction of IMN activities in Nigeria and continuation of hostile activities towards its properties.
On Monday, Kaduna officially branded the IMN as terrorists in a White Paper released by media aides of Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai.
The state government indicated readiness to prosecute detained Shi’ite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, holding him solely responsible for the December 2015 clash and deaths, therefrom.
Meanwhile, Senator Danjuma Tella La’ah has described comments ascribed to Governor Nasir el-Rufai that he paid Fulani herdsmen to stop killings in Southern Kaduna, as nonchalant attitude to the plight of 19 affected communities.
Senator La’ah, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also faulted a threat by the state government to arrest and prosecute those calling on the people of Southern Kaduna to defend themselves since government has failed in that responsibility. The lawmaksaid he should be the first to be arrested as he has also suggested same.
“I wish to state that these statements are not only unfortunate, callous, insensitive, crude and demeaning of his office and intelligence, it throws him up as a bigot and we feel he is culpable in the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna.
In a swift reaction, the governor refuted the statement, saying he has never said he paid Fulani herdsmen to stop killings in Southern Kaduna, but was only trying to implement a White Paper started by late governor Ibrahim Yakowa, which suggested compensation of cattle that were killed during the 2011 post election crisis. The governor said he just resuscitated Yakowa’s initiative, by persuading aggrieved Fulanis to forgive the losses suffered in the 2011 post-lection violence and some of them responded by asking for compensation for loss of cattle.
Senator La’ah in a statement he personally signed copy of which was made available to newsmen in Kaduna read in part, “the outcome of Newspapers’ and online captions (not The Sun) quoting Governor Nasir el-Rufai as saying that he has had to trace some of the murderous herdsmen that have been killing defenceless, innocent Southern Kaduna natives and destroying their villages. The news sources said that after tracing them, he told them that he was also a fulani man and paid them sums of money to stop the massacre, burning and tearing down of scores of communities in Southern Kaduna.
“The governor also uttered a very bizarre threat that he has compiled for arrest and prosecution, names of persons asking the people of Southern Kaduna to defend themselves against the obvious inability of the Chief Security Officer of the state -Governor Nasir El-Rufai – to secure their lives and property and save them the trauma of being under perpetual fear of further unprovoked violence.
“I wish to state that these statements are not only unfortunate, callous, insensitive, crude and demeaning of his office and intelligence, it throws him up as a bigot and we feel he is culpable in the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna.
The lawmaker continued, “that there was never in a time in 2011 that Fulani from Mali, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal were killed in Southern Kaduna with their cattle. This is a silly and an absurd lie. Southern Kaduna is not a junction of these countries. So how could they have all converged on Southern Kaduna on their usual migration back home?
“The Governor just made fabrications to make excuses for these murderous herdsmen to continue their extermination of our people and the occupation of our lands.As the main political leader and representative of Southern Kaduna at the Federal level, despite many overtures of trying to meet with the governor over the insecurity in my zone with no success, he has never deem it fit to inform me of these actions so as to seek my views and that of my constituency over the matter.
“This is a very curious development, especially as I was able to make the Senate to pass a resolution asking the Federal Government to declare a State of Emergency on Security in Southern Kaduna last month. I expected him to cash on that, using his connection with the President and Commander-in-Chief. But, he was obviously not concerned. In the light of the above, the Federal Government, especially the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Directorate of State Services, SSS, the Directorate of Military Intelligence, DMI and sundry agencies should look no further for the solution to the unrelenting killings in Southern Kaduna. El-Rufai should be held to produce the killers of innocent Nigerians since he has been able to identify them and their locations.
“I am pleading with Kaduna State indigenes and residents to ask why he has stubbornly refused to render basic assistance of rebuilding of even a home, or any form of monetary assistance to the surviving victims in Southern Kaduna. Most are still left without food and shelter despite the modest assistance that some of us, churches, NGOs etc have continued to render from time to time”, he said.
He however called on all Kaduna State natives, all Hausa and Fulani of the area, who are genuinely interested in peace to forget about political, tribal and religious leanings and come together in prayers and for genuine dialogue amongst themselves as the last option left for peace and security in Southern Kaduna.
Speaking at a news conference, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Samuel Aruwan clarified that El Rufai never paid herdsmen money in order to either appease or arm them as widely reported in the media.
Aruwan who lamented the distortion of what the governor said in an interview with some journalists last week, said that ‘’government is combining security action with dialogue and peace-building efforts in southern Kaduna”.
He noted that El-Rufai has continued what was admirable in the peace efforts of late Governor Patrick Yakowa, and would do whatever is legitimate to secure lasting peace in the area, adding that late Yakowa tried to foster reconciliation with the affected Fulani communities, in order to stem the spiral of vengeance and reprisals.
‘’Yakowa’s efforts were not sustained after his death and violence persisted. When it became our responsibility to provide security for the state, we re-established these contacts so that those who felt they lost in the 2011 violence could let bygones be bygones,’’ he explained.
‘’The quest for peace and the imperative of stemming human suffering requires leaders to explore conventional and unusual means to build peace. That is why the Kaduna State government is combining security action with dialogue and peace-building efforts in southern Kaduna.’
“El Rufai built on Yakowa’s peace building efforts by setting up the General Martin Luther Agwai Peace and Reconciliation Committee to look into the crises in Southern Kaduna.
According to the Agwai Committee as captured in the white paper, the settled Fulani, the semi-settled Fulani and the transhumance Fulani, many of whom are the Bokolo from Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Senegal and Mali, lost lives and cattle in the violence.
Governor however quote El Rufai as blaming the lawmaker who represents Southern Kaduna at the Upper Legislative Chambers, of playing to the gallery instead of playing his role as a leader.
‘’The Senator is responding to the mischievous headline published by his campaign spokesman, who moonlights as the Vanguard reporter in Kaduna. This reporter, who was not present during the governor’s recent media interview, wrote a story that was bereft of context and was laced with a dangerous headline.
Meanwhile, at a joint press briefing in Kaduna, yesterday, Interim Management Committee Chairmen of Jema’a and Kauru Local Government Areas , Dr. Bege Katuka and Alex Musa Iya hinged killings in Southern Kaduna on lack of patience of their people who acted on unconfirmed rumour that led to the death of a Fulani leader in Godogodo Chiefdom in recent times.
The LG bosses spoke on the heel of the recent outbursts of Senator Danjuma La’ah representing Kaduna South Senatorial Zone, that the state government has done nothing to stop killings in Southern Kaduna.
Specifically, Bege said, Godogodo Chiefdom was ab initio the most peaceful area in Southern Kaduna until
26th May, 2016 when rumoured killing of one Ango Bali, who is still alive, led to a mob attack against a Fulani settlement, where a Fulani leader was killed.
“Our people acted on unconfirmed information that Fulani herdsmen had attacked and killed Bali. But the said Bali is walking alive today. If our had verified and discovered that the man was not killed as peddled, we would not have been where we are today.
“Instead of verifying, our people went straight to Fulani settlement, unleashed terror on them, killed one of their leaders and set ablaze about 60 huts. So, this is what brought us to where we are today with its ripple effect, which has now escalated to so many communities. It has led to vengeance and reprisals.
“But, while we don’t want to join issues with any of our leaders, we are here to clarify and set the record straight that, the government is leaving no stone unturned to stop killings of our people. We are combining reconciliatory efforts with security actions to bring an end to the unfortunate crisis.
“Since 26th May, efforts have been made to put the past behind us. These are people who have been living together for over several decades base on trust.
“What we need at this point in time is for our leaders to join forces, irrespective of their political difference to address this problem head-on. We must avoid politicising security, at least for the sake of innocent people who are being killed,” they stressed.
The council chairmen however noted that the way forward to a peaceful Southern Kaduna is dialogue and genuine reconciliation.
They therefore extended hands of fellowship to all state and federal law makers of Southern Kaduna extraction join them in their efforts to bring back peace, without relating it to politics or religion.
“It is important for our leaders both at the state and national assemblies to come and support us in effort to restore peace and tranquility to our dear state especially, the affected communities in Southern Kaduna.
“The state government has been involved in all our reconciliation and dialogue moves. The government has invited all the affected and warring parties to meetings all in an efforts to to ensure peace in our communities.
“We are on ground, we know what we are doing and we enjoin others who love the region to come and join us to broker peace without relating it to politics or religion”, added Bege.