By Amos Tauna
Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Friday said violence, enmity and hate cannot solve Southern Kaduna problem.
He said the process of peace building must commence to gradually phase out the crisis.
Addressing stakeholders from Southern Kaduna during a meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Osinbajo said the security Chiefs and local government chairmen had briefed him about the crisis in Southern Kaduna.
While noting that the crisis cannot end in a hurry, because there was hate and anger, he said, “We must therefore strive to put an end to this, otherwise it will consume everybody.”
Osinbajo, however, promised to convene meetings with representatives of CAN, JNI, MACBAN and other stakeholders separately.
He said a quick fix solution would not be apt as the crisis had a long history which he was studying through previous reports of commissions of inquiry, briefing from security agencies and other reports.
“I will like to begin a discussion on the very terrible crisis that has gone on for a while in Southern Kaduna. A lot of bloodletting have taken place in Southern Kaduna in the past few weeks.
“I want to express my sincere condolence to all of those who have lost families and friends and have been traumatized by the terrible things that have been going on in the area in the past few months.
“But I must say there’s no question whatsoever that violence would never stop any of the problems we are experiencing today, there’s no way we will resolve it that way.
“On this matter, I have read documents; as a matter of fact, I have tried very hard to study the crisis in Southern Kaduna, personally. I have read quite a few documents including reports of past crisis; recently I have taken briefings from the service chiefs a couple of days ago on what is going on 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 have talked to his Excellency 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.”
Governor El-Rufai in his opening remarks swore to God that his administration would fish out and prosecute those who had participated in the killings or instigated killings in Kaduna State in the last 37 years.
He said that his government had identified bringing culprits to book, deployment of security and commencement of peace building efforts as panacea to permanently ending the Southern Kaduna crisis.
El-Rufai commended the Acting President 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 stakeholders who spoke at the meeting, like the CAN Chairman Bishop George Dodo, representative of the JNI, Alhaji Sanusi Maikudi and National Assistant Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Abdullahi traced the crisis to 2011 post-election violence and suggested ways out.
CAN chairman, Rev. George Dodo thanked the Acting President and the state governor for their intervention in finding lasting peace in Southern Kaduna and prayed that those behind the violence would be apprehended and brought to book.
Representative of JNI in Kaduna State, Alhaji Sanusi Maikudi blamed the crisis on the inability of the previous government to fish out those behind the crisis and failure to act on the recommendations of commissions of inquiry.
