The issue of insecurity in Nigeria has become a very serious problem. I think the Federal Government is trying its best in the area of security, at least to stop these atrocities, these killings by these heartless and wicked people all over our country.
It is not only in the Southern Kaduna region that this is happening; it is all over the country. In Ondo State, we are facing the same problem of attacks and killings by herdsmen and many now believe that the people that are perpetrating this act are members of the Boko Haram sect; they hide among the peaceful herdsmen.
Recently, we heard that they attacked some commuters along the Ilesa-Akure Expressway, maiming people and collecting all their belongings. These herdsmen also cause accidents on the road – most of the time when they attack people.
So, they are everywhere in the country. My appeal to the Federal Government is to be more proactive about the security of the people, because the Federal Government should be in control of security; security is important to the people. Many people don’t feel secure again in their houses. Only last week, some of these hoodlums broke into a house in Oba Ile, Akure, took away their belongings and also kidnapped a woman in the house; though the woman was released three days after. •Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (A retired Anglican bishop and elder statesman)
If the government is sincere, it should deal with the root cause of the problem which is poverty, illiteracy and marginalisation. The illiteracy aspect is being taken care of.
I dealt with a similar crisis when I was the governor of the state in the early 1980s and the first thing was to show the people that we were for everybody. We brought equal development to all parts of the state.
During our time, whenever there was any problem, we went straight to the people to know what the problem was. For instance, when the state was engulfed in the Kasuwan Magani crisis, I was in Lagos. When I heard that there was a crisis between the natives and the Hausas, I flew down immediately and rushed to the area. There, I discovered that the entire thing had a political undertone.
It was a plan just to cause disorder. We went to the community and talked with the local government leaders; and these people assured us there was nothing. We saw people burning houses and went to the victims and talked to them and that was the end of the matter.
At the same time, at Gada-Gaya (northern part of the state), we heard that
there was going to be reprisals because Hausa people were being killed in Kasuwan-Magani (Southern Kaduna) and we took a similar measure by going there to quell the matter.
We also identified the community leaders and talked to them. We gave a stern warning to those we believed were troublemakers that should there be any upheavals, they would never be spared. That was how law and order returned to the area.
Also, there was this case between two religious sects – the Izala and the Derika. I met their leaders without wasting much time.
I think what is happening now is that political parties are using this for political reasons. • Balarabe Musa (First executive governor of Kaduna State)
The only way out, as we have always said, is dialogue. I think what the Federal Government should do now is to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to really get to the root of the crisis. The Federal Government should ensure that any individual or group found culpable of perpetrating the killings should be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others. We are fully aware that the government has put in a measure like the deployment of troops to the troubled areas, but it has not solved the problem. Now, let us try the commission of inquiry because we cannot allow these killings to continue. •Muhammadu Ibrahim (National Publicity Secretary, Arewa Consultative Forum)
First of all, the government should inquire why the residents of Southern Kaduna are behaving the way they are behaving. Secondly, the Federal Government should set up a commission of inquiry.
Also, whoever is found wanting should be brought to book according to the laws of the land. We should not forget that there is abject poverty in the land occasioned by unemployment. Kaduna, being a cosmopolitan state, comprises people of different religions and ethnic groups.
There is the need to be fair in the distribution of government projects. We should not forget that the current crisis in the Southern Kaduna has happened before and what I expected any progressive government to have done was to go into the archives and study past reports on the crisis.
There is the likelihood that the reports contained suggestions on how to end the crisis which nobody has cared to pay attention to. So, my advice is that government should go into the records and implement part of the records containing suggestions on how to end the crisis. •Abdulmumini Sanni (Chairman, National Conscience Party, Katsina State chapter )
The continuous killing of innocent citizens and destruction of property in Southern Kaduna has defied all solutions from the Kaduna State Government. This becomes glaring in the wake of last Sunday’s Christmas Day attack, where over 10 people were massacred while property running into millions of naira were destroyed.
Houses were also razed by the attackers who the natives refer to as Fulani herdsmen. It is highly worrisome that despite the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in the affected parts of Southern Kaduna by the state government, the attackers still had all the time in the world to carry out the massive destruction in the area.
The natives claimed that the attackers of last Sunday’s attacks earlier notified them of their coming and they, in turn, notified the security agents. But, alas, throughout the duration of the carnage, security agents refused, or were not able, to come to the aid of the helpless victims.
I think last Sunday’s attack suggests that the state government has shown that it is incapable of taking control and establishing law and order in the affected areas.
The only option left is for the citizens to constitute local vigilant groups as witnessed during the formation of the civilian Joint Task Force in Borno State, which later forced out the Boko Haram elements from the city of Maiduguri. It is apparent that the Kaduna State Government has failed to address this issue. Therefore, the Federal government should as a matter of urgency move in the military to stop this carnage, and like in Maiduguri, the military should work with the civilian vigilantes, in the same way it worked with the civilian JTF to combat Boko Haram. •Olu Omotayo (Lawyer, and head of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Enugu chapter)
The Federal Government should embark on continuous and strong sensitisation campaigns against the dastardly killings in the Southern Kaduna region in order to enlighten the people on the need for all Nigerians to cordially cohabit regardless of ethnic and religious differences. If there is cordial coexistence in the country, the issue of Avengers, IPOB, MASSOB, OPC, Arewa and other militant groups, will not arise. It is lack of unity that is responsible for all the killings in different parts of the country.
I, therefore, believe there will be peace if the Federal Government takes the campaign to the different tribes in their own languages, educating them on the pros and cons of their actions. And it must be a continuous exercise. While this is ongoing, the government should beef up security in the crisis-prone areas to avoid unnecessary mayhem.
But in a situation where herdsmen, for instance, are not prepared to adhere to the law, the Federal Government should build a settlement for them where they will not have contact with other people to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. • Chima Chukwunyere (Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee, Imo State)
The government will need to establish the remote and immediate causes of the killings. I know as a matter of fact that in the past there were a number of judicial commissions of enquiry. But they have not been able to address the problems holistically. I believe some people have been clever by half; they have not told us the truth. They really need to tell us what has been going on and it is only then that the government can take far-reaching decisions.
Yes, military action may give a little reprieve, but that may not proffer a lasting solution to the problem. If we don’t allow transparency, equity, justice and fair play to reign, anarchy will continue to prevail.
I believe it is also a sad reflection that government is not able to address the problem of security in the state.
Therefore, people are resorting to self-help and the various factions are resorting to anomie, which is not good for the society. Government must be seen to be in charge of security all the time. •Dr Fassy Yusuf (An Islamic Scholar)
Compiled by Chiedozie Ihuoma, Success Nwogu, Olaide Oyelade, Samson Folarin, Gibson Achonu, Godwin Isenyo and Peter Dada
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