Fear gripped passengers on Abuja-Kaduna train at the weekend when it experienced system failure near Jere, a community that experienced series of kidnapping recently.
The Friday morning train, which took off from Idu in Abuja around 7.03am had system failure twice. The first was before the train took off in Idu, while the second was at Jere in Kaduna State.
READ MORE: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/panic-as-abuja-train-breaks-down-in-jere.html
Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, says a solution must be found to the crisis in the southern part of Kaduna state.
Speaking on Friday when he led a delegation of the National Peace Committee to the state, the elder statesman emphasised the need for peace.
The delegation held a closed door meeting with Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, before briefing journalists.
Abdulsalami disclosed that there were plans to meet with stakeholders in the region to find out the cause of the problem.
“We are here due to the recent happenings in Southern Kaduna. And from here, we are going to meet with other stakeholders, religious leaders, the chiefs in the area and also visit the site where these problems are and discuss with the people,” he said.
“We will sit down and see what we think should be done. Then, we come back to the governor and also if necessary to the federal government… This crisis is not only limited to Kaduna, it is something that is engulfing the country.
“We want to make sure that peace reigns in Nigeria, to make sure that people know that we are together, we have to live in peace with each other and we have what it is to give and take.
“We are reaching a situation in the country where human live doesn’t mean anything to people and this is wrong.”
He appealed to the people to embrace peace, saying no religion preaches violence.
“There is no religion on earth or anywhere that preaches violence. So this is why we are here today,” he said.
“We thank the governor and his team for receiving us. One of the points that the governor drew our attention to is the way people take law into their hands and they go scot free. And this impunity must be checked. These are some of the issues we discussed.
“Everybody is aggrieved in one way or the other, so what we beg on people is to be patient, try as much as to forgive and to be each other’s keeper. We must live together, we must find solution to the problems to sit down and talk to ourselves because there is no problem that cannot be solved when you are talking to each other.”
Mathew Kukah, Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, who is from the southern part of Kaduna, said the meeting was to show solidarity with the people.
He said the committee would get first-hand information from the people of the state.
“I think the visit is more of a solidarity with the people of Kaduna state. We are here to hear for ourselves what exactly is happening and what we can do with the hope that we can find a way forward based on the situation,” he said.
“We are part of the delegation, I convened the peace committee and what we are doing now is to try to bring about peace. We are looking at how we can achieve peace and stability.
“I think what the people of Kaduna state, including the government should be doing now is to look into how we can achieve peace and development, and I think that is the reason we have democracy.
“What is going now is a very sad phase in our history, but I believe that we can get over it and we will get over it and come out stronger and committed to peace.”
Sources: www.thecable.ng
Few dayas ago, the Council of Imams and Ulama in Kaduna state, held a press conference where they called for the arrest of some Christian religious leaders including CAN President, over some of the comments he has made on the lingering Southern Kaduna crisis(Read here).
CAN in a statement released yesterday, described the Islamic clerics as hypocrites for turning blind eyes to the real issues that have continuously caused the crisis. The statement signed by the Secretary General of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake reads in part;
“To CAN, this is a surprising shameless, unveiled criminal support for evil. While, the killings of children, women, aged and the most defenseless of Southern Kaduna natives and the destruction of entire communities was at its peak, no one knew that a group called Council of Imams and Ulama existed in Kaduna state.
When Church leaders under the banner of CAN kept praying for Southern Kaduna and other affected areas in the country, visiting traumatized communities and softly calling on government to do the needy, this Council of Imams was silent and invisible. In a press conference in Kaduna on November 7th 2016, Jema’a Foundation, Miyetti Allah and Mobgal Fulbe Development Association confirmed that Fulani and Hausa Muslims have been behind the ethnic cleansing and destruction of villages and houses of worship in Southern Kaduna. They claimed they had to do this to entrench their rights to practice Islam, alleging they were being marginalized in Southern Kaduna. Those who addressed the press were Abdullahi Hassan Mohammed, Ahmad M. Yandeh and Abdulhamid Musa. Again, on December 31, 2016, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Assistant National Secretary of Miyetti Allah also echoed the same position that the Fulani were carrying out reprisal killings. In view of this glaring confession by all these Fulani men, is it not reprehensible, distasteful and vile that the Council of Imams and Ulama Kaduna State did not call for the arrest of these people who are in conspiracy with the murderers? With their position now, it is obvious that these Imams are part of the evil network desperately trying to decimate the Christian population of Southern Kaduna and the taking over of their lands by Islamist herdsmen terrorists. These are the Muslim clerics that encourage and inspire the jihad carried out by their foot soldiers. We have refused to keep silent as we are speaking up to government and telling the world the devilish plot against the Christian community in Southern Kaduna and other affected areas. While those they inspired through their wicked sermons to kill and conquer new territories for Islam are carrying out their instructions, they are now intimidating the victims with Gov. El-Rufai’s infamous position of “call for self-defense is hate speech. Our Lord Jesus Christ is exposing the enemies of His Kingdom one by one. For the records, the words and the way of life of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world before whom all knees shall bow, was never violent. CAN therefore, thrives under His inspiration and guidance. We can never call on a Christian to kill another human being. But we cannot tell a Christian to unjustly submit himself to murderers, his family wiped, his community taken over with crude violence so that a new community of herdsmen terrorists be established as it is happening now in Southern Kaduna, especially as government is not showing enough commitment to arresting the situation. CAN therefore, has no apology over what comment it has made on the religious cleansing in Southern Kaduna and other places in the country. It is clear fact that CAN has the more to lose with the continuance of these madness. Since May last year to date in Southern Kaduna alone, over 100 Christians have been killed; over 53 communities with their churches have been destroyed and not less than 16 villages have been conquered and are now being occupied by Fulani herdsmen terrorists”.
Source: http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2017/01/souther-kaduna-you-are-hypocrites-can.html
Nigeria is indeed a strong country considering the crisis it has been subjected to in recent times. Looking back at the wars we have fought in the past, it will be weird for anyone to take an obtuse stand.
File photo of a riot scene in Nigeria.
Thousands of people do not think of our past and the kind of work we have done to get here. There have been many events that could have torn us apart as a nation but for so many reasons we are still standing as a country and the pride of Africa.
Despite the flaws in our system, the nation is standing against all odds and struggling to attain the peace and unity that we all sing about. Some Nigerians are playing their roles too by putting the country in good view; those in diaspora are not left out as most of the reports heard about them are good and soul lifting.
The activities of an Islamic sect that killed more than a hundred people while displacing thousands of people few days ago is a major concern for all. This has forced us to review the timeline of religious and ethnic violence that has left the nation threatened.
Find below some major events that has resulted into violence between the Christians and Muslims in Nigeria:
1. The fight that ensued from the introduction of Islamic sharia law
This event happened in year 2000 and is marked by the death of thousands of people in the northern part of Nigeria. The sharia law passed was opposed by the non-Muslims; this resulted into a fight between the Muslims and people outside the faith in Kaduna State.
2. The Christian-Muslim violence in Jos
The violence that resulted from the clash between Muslims and Christians in Jos left the icy city in despair. This event occurred in September 2001. More than 900 people lost their lives as a result of the violence.
3. The riot from the Miss World contest held in Abuja
This happened in November 2002 after a newspaper article made a blasphemy against Prophet Mohammad by suggesting that the holy prophet would have married one of the beauty queens at the contest if he was alive. This resulted in a fight that left more than 20 people dead in Kaduna.
4. The Christian Tarok militia activities
In May 2004, hundreds of people were killed by Christian Tarok militia in the Yelwa, a central Nigerian town. Most of the people affected were mainly Muslims as over 600 corpses were buried after the violence according to the survivors.
5. The Muslim-Christian fight in Kano
The same month the Christian Tarok militia group had the clash, the streets of Kano were soaked in blood as Muslims and Christians were involved in a violent fight. According to the community leaders, more than 500 people were killed. Lots of Christians lost their lives in the fight.
6. The riot between Christians and Muslims in Maiduguri
February 2006 came with another bloodbath. The religious fight between the Muslims and Christians left over a hundred people dead.
This fight started with the protest against Danish cartoons which was made to mock the holy prophet according to a Muslim. The northeastern city of Maiduguri was affected most by the violence.
7. The religious fight at a local government election in Jos
There was another clash between the major religious groups of Nigeria in November 2008. This was triggered by a local government election which left about 400 people killed in Jos.
8. The curfew in Bauchi
For some unknown reasons, the curfew imposed by the governor of Bauchi state did not settle things as scores of people were killed while churches and mosques were burned down in February 2009.
9. The Boko Haram launch in July 2009
Boko Haram sect got started with the illegal education remark. Several attacks were staged in the northern city of Bauchi after some of their members were arrested.
More than 50 people were killed then even though many people were arrested in connection with it. Boko Haram stood against western education and demanded for the adoption of sharia in every part of the country.
Sources: https://www.naij.com/1082502-9-times-ethnic-religious-crisis-threatened-peace-nigeria.html
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that 204 people were killed in Southern Kaduna crisis. The agency said the figure were recorded from the killings that occurred into two local government areas in the state. It also said the figure covers between October and December 2016 and early January 2017
The National Emergency Management Agency has said that 204 people were killed in Southern Kaduna
The federal government of Nigeria has pegged the number of people killed in the recent Southern Kaduna crisis at 204. The figure was released by the National Emergency Agency (NEMA) on Friday, January 13. While the Catholic Church had said a total of 808 people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in the repeated attacks that lasted for months.
The inspector general of police Ibrahim Idris had also denied that such number (given by the Catholic Church) was correct. But the church said 1,422 houses, 16 churches, 19 shops, and one primary school were destroyed.
However, Premium Times reports that the NEMA North West zonal coordinator Musa Ilella said the figure was for two local government areas – Kafanchan and Chikun – affected by the crisis.
Ilella said the figure cover between October and December 2016 and early January 2017.
“Four districts in Kafanchan LGA namely: Linte, Goska, Dangoma and Kafanchan town recorded 194 deaths,” Ilella said.
He also said Chikun local government area recorded about 10 deaths, making a total of 204.
He added there was no record of any victim in the hospital.
Mr Ilella said there was no record of any injured victim in the hospital.
Meanwhile, the state governor of Kaduna Nasir El-Rufai had accused foreign herdsmen of the killings.
El-Rufai said the herdsmen were avenging past attacks on them and their livestock by the affected communities.
The Department of State Services has arrested a fleeing member of the Boko Haram sect.
In a statement on Friday by Tonu Opuiyo for the Service, the suspect one Alkasim Salisu was planning an attack with his cohorts when he was picked up.
Salisu, who had fled the military operation in Yobe State to settle in Kaduna was arrested at Rigasa area of Igabi LGA of the state.
He planned to launch attacks on select targets in Kaduna metropolis including the railway station.
In an unrelated development, the Service also arrested one Kelvin Nwanaji, at Ojo, Lagos. NWANAJI had opened a Facebook Account in the name of the
Nwanaji had opened a Facebook Account in the name of the Director-General of the SSS and has been using it to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, who he promised jobs in the Service. His arrest was
His arrest was sequel to investigation arising from the misinformation in the social (news) media that the Service was recruiting. Further investigation is being undertaken to arrest all those connected with this scam.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan has put the number of deaths to 808. In three local governments in Southern Kaduna, Fulani herdsmen who have become what the Federal Government of Nigeria continues to deny branding them – terrorists, have ruined lives, property, hopes and everything the people in these parts could lay claim to.
Although based in Lagos, Audu Maikori is a native of one of the towns that make up the Southern part of Kaduna and he knows firsthand how his people have been repeatedly maimed over the last four years without a decided intervention from any level of government. According to him, more than 4,000 people have been killed in this region in the last four years; yet the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has opted for silence.
In this exclusive interview with YNaija, Audu Maikori sheds light on the extent of the loss in Southern Kaduna and proffers solution to this protracted evil that has besought the land:
It’s both ethnic and religious which means that there is also a political angle to it. In the past, the violence has been ignited by various factors from land matters, to election results to the imposition of Sharia law at a time but in my honest opinion the underlying reason is religious- because in the final analysis you will rarely hear of violence erupting within Southern Kaduna indigenes themselves or between tribes in the Northern part of Kaduna because they are from similar ethnic/religious backgrounds. I will give you a few examples:- Probably the most well-known incidences include the Zangon Kataf crisis in 1992, which erupted due to a disagreement over the siting of a market. The natives wanted the market at a particular place without the interference of the Hausa tribe who claimed to be settlers. The crisis in Zangon Kataf spread to other parts of the state and neighbouring states where places of worship were burnt, hundreds of lives lost and property worth millions of naira was destroyed.
In 2000, at least 2,000 people were killed in sectarian clashes, which were sparked by Christian protests against the proposed introduction of Sharia law in the state. The fallout of the clashes saw many Christians relocating from Northern part of Kaduna to the Southern part and vice versa- so Kaduna a once peaceful and cosmopolitan settlement of Nigerians from all tribes soon became very polarized along religious and ethnic lines.
In 2011, there were post-election attacks on Southern Kaduna and other Christians in Zaria, Kaduna, Zonkwa and Kafanchan, following incendiary comments and incitement by political party leaders as the result of the loss of the CPC candidate Muhammed Buhari ( now President Buhari) during the 2011 presidential election. This crisis started in Zaria and Kaduna, where hundreds of churches and houses were burnt, the Kafanchan market was burnt, pastors and other innocent persons were killed, injured and rendered homeless. In Kafanchan, the Christians in retaliation also burnt mosques and also killed Hausa- Fulani Muslims.
What have successive governments done to halt the violence?
I am not in a position to tell you categorically what the other governments did in the past but what I can say is that in my opinion those efforts were all short term, we need a long-term approach to solving the problems of the state as it would seem that previous governments just take a reactionary position instead of a proactive one.
Is the current governor, Nasir El-Rufai doing anything to stop the killings? Is he doing enough?
The governor has taken some steps to arrest the situation and we are informed that an additional deployment of two security posts in the region were approved a few days ago which is a step in the right direction. But as I stated, the actions we see are always reactionary instead of it being anticipatory. Take the issue of the most recent attack in Goska village, the villagers had already alerted the authorities that there were rumours of an impending attack on the village and a 6am – 6pm curfew was imposed in Kafanchan and two other local governments. In spite of the curfew and deployment of security operatives around those areas, these Fulani herdsmen successfully attacked the Goska Village at around 7pm (while the curfew was in full force) and successfully killed dozens of people including children, razed down cars, houses, and property and they all got away with it! One of the most painful stories in that of a friend of mine Barrister Gideon Morik. Mr. Morik had come home with his whole family to spend Christmas, instead his first daughter a 14-year-old girl was murdered in cold blood that night –again while a curfew and security operatives were stationed around the village. What is astounding is that not one of the herdsmen were caught, detained or killed and reports reaching us indicate that the policemen that were there actually were scared of going into the village to arrest the situation and only did so 3 hours after the attacks – around 9.30pm!
So yes the governor is taking action but the action is not enough! The Federal Government should collaborate with the state government to arrest this brand of terrorism. Till date, no herdsman has been successfully prosecuted. In spite of the killing hundreds of people not one conviction has been publicly recorded! Why the will the people not suspect some sort of connivance between the security forces and the terrorists? The need for results is urgent so its serves as a clear deterrent.
And the president, has he taken steps to intervene?
The President has done nothing to directly intervene. What we understand is that the additional two security posts were a result of the solicitation by the governor requesting for more resources which was granted. However, the fact that the President has not deemed the death of over 800 Nigerians important enough to send a message, pay a personal visit or publicly condemn the actions of the Fulani terrorists, shows what value he places on the lives of the citizens he leads. Our belief is that if the President had directly addressed this matter, even the security forces would sit up, the people will be reassured that the matter was being handled and would even demonstrate the stance of this government against such acts of criminality. Instead, the Presidential spokesman stated that the President doesn’t have to respond to “every” situation. In other words, the death of people in Kaduna is a state matter and isn’t important enough for him to address directly. This is shocking seeing as Mr. President is quick to commiserate with other countries when even 50 people are killed in a club but doesn’t think that the death of Barrister Moriks daughter or that of hundreds of others in those communities are worthy of his commiseration(s). Mr. President’s conduct in this matter has been disappointing to say the least.
Where do you see this going if the government doesn’t act now?
It will be more chaos and though we have condoned some of these atrocities in the past without retaliating, we will no longer do so. We will actively protect and defend our communities. Constitutionally, the primary purpose of government is the provision of security and welfare of the people- when the government fails to do so, they not only fail in their key function but also leave the people with no alternative but to resort to self-help. Sadly, Nigerians have to provide almost everything themselves- their own food, their own electricity, their own security, jobs etc- which makes you wonder what then the government actually does sometimes. But if this matter is not arrested, it will be cruel to ask the people to sit own and fold their arms and wait for the next round of killings. The most basic human instinct is self-preservation and survival and we will not hesitate to defend ourselves by any means necessary.
In situations like this, what do you expect from the state government? What steps should be taken in the immediate and long-term?
I had written an article earlier that states my views about this but for brevity let me state my thoughts as follows:-
1. Secure the region and install permanent vigils in and around the area.
2. Get the security forces trained and properly equipped to enable them actually arrest any unrest
3. Speed up the prosecution of arrested suspects, the minute a suspect is prosecuted and jailed it will send a strong signal to others.
4. The tone of the Governor/Government has to change from shifting responsibility to past governments to shouldering the responsibility for the security of lives and property now. The language should be conciliatory and not defensive. We need peace and the government is the only neutral arbiter that can broker that but the way this is communicated will determine how soon the crises can be ameliorated.
5. Dialogue- broker a peace treaty with both sides and not only one side. The admission of payment of compensation to the herdsmen shows partiality and a lack of fairness in the government’s approach in resolving the crises.
6. Compensation and welfare – somewhere out there, there are children -boys and girls who have been orphaned, who have no homes to go to, no clothes, no hope for the future who need to be rehabilitated and counseled, because the after effects of the attacks will be felt long after the crises is over- how do we ensure we don’t have psychologically scarred young men and women in the future? How do we stall further retaliation from these communities? How to rebuild schools, hospitals, homes, egos, of the victims?
Things have degenerated drastically as regards insecurity in Kaduna – who do we hold responsible?
Everyone has a part to play but when the issue of security is raised the primary party is the government and like I stated earlier – security is the MAIN or PRIMARY objective of government. Since the situation in Kaduna is not new, why can’t the government deploy resources to ensure a lasting solution to the problem? In this particular case, the Fulani herdsmen should be contained in their own part of the state and if indeed it is true what the Governor said about them being foreigners- then they should be deported! This matter is critical and while others are blaming politicians and parties as being behind some of these skirmishes, we have real human beings being maimed and killed every day, this must stop! Fulani herdsmen have killed another 1,024 people in Benue in 2016 alone! So we all need to play our respective roles but with clear guidance and support of the government.
If we’re holding Governor el-Rufai or even President Buhari responsible, what about the role of community leaders and other thought leaders like you?
To be clear, my people never stated that they hold either PMB/el-Rufai directly responsible for the crises, rather we stated that there is the need for them to do much more to arrest the situation and do so urgently. But to your question like I stated earlier, everyone has a role to play but let me state that this situation is not a case of two warring communities- it’s the case of a bunch of well-armed marauders invading communities that have existed for thousands of years and trying to claim land that doesn’t belong to them (clearly and as admitted by the Government itself) so what do you do as a leaders of the affected community? You can only advise caution, and encourage the people to be vigilant and to protect themselves the best way they can and ensure cooperation with the government. However this situation is a bit different, you see it’s similar to a man who has built a house and put a fence around the house and is then constantly attacked by armed robbers who take away stuff from his house. The question is what more can the house owner do beyond building the fence? If the attacks continue unabated in spite of you notifying the police, you are left with three alternatives relocate from the house, buy a gun and defend yourself and family or three, die. The question then is which would you choose?
The people of Southern Kaduna are a peace loving people who are battling to keep the lands of their ancestors free of encroachment by marauding foreigners. They have always complied with government directives and will continue to do so until it becomes clear that they cannot get justice that way.
When/how do you see this ending?
I don’t know, but what is clear is that this time we will not watch while a generation is wiped out, we are ready to defend our land and our people. It will end when all parties realize and respect the constitutional rights of the other and respect the tenets of peace and humanity.
