GOVERNOR MUKTAR YERO. YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM IN SOUTHERN KADUNA By SOUTHERN KADUNA IN THE DIASPORA (SOKAD), U. S. A & CANADA While Nigeria faces the devilish pogrom by Boko Haram in the North East as they cleanse that region of its non-Muslim minorities and their Muslim sympathizers (moderate Muslims), the jihadist movement, which has been longer in the Middle Belt, is progressing in full speed: The Boko Haram backed Fulani herdsmen are steadily, but surely, cleansing that part of the country of its indigenes as they match toward the south raping women and children, and killing and maiming indigenes in the Delta, Benue, Kaduna, Nassarawa, and Plateau States. While the country and the world wait to see if the Chibok 300 young and innocent girls will be freed, Southern Kaduna Christians and ethnic minorities are being killed by Fulani herders and their Boko Haram proxies. The tactics being used is this: the Fulani herders will hire Boko Haram elements, many from Niger and Mali, to do the killings for them. The Fulani will then pretend to know nothing about it. This strategy was used in last weeks killing of more than 100 people in villages in Sanga Local Government on June 24, 2014. Where are the Kaduna State Government and its Commissioner of Police? Southern Kaduna Diaspora (SOKAD) is highly disappointed in the inaction of the state and the Governor in handling the Southern Kaduna pain and suffering. Your condolences and tepid condemnations are not the remedy. There is urgent need for bold and serious actions where outcomes are substantial and tangible. When Southern Kaduna Indigenes Progressive Forum ( SKIPFo) threatened to take Kaduna State Governor- Muktar Yero to the International Court- and SOKAD volunteered to join in the action-the Governor might have thought it to be an empty threat. But Your Excellency, We are tired of talks and condolences and have ran out of patience being good and law abiding citizens. We have used all legitimate means to be heard and to draw local, national, and global attention to the ethnic cleansing of Christian and ethnic minorities in the middle belt, particular Kaduna state: We have prayed; We have written; We have protested, mediated, dialogued, some have signed so called peace and reconciliation pact with the Fulani herders and yet our people are still being killed, maimed and cleansed of their land. Southern Kaduna People are peaceful and peace loving people. This culture of peace and love for all Gods creation, regardless of religion and other identities is informed by their religion and cultures where forgiveness and human life are central. But turning the other cheek is no longer a sensible option as we are running out of cheeks and there is a ticking time bomb The people no longer have confidence in the state to protect them. The buzz around web fora, and from the travels of two of our members- one is still at home, is a complete lack of confidence on our elected officials from Southern Kaduna. The conclusion is that President Jonathan cant come from Abuja to protect us. Governor Yakowa couldnt protect us; Governor Yero and his PDP is refusing to protect us; the Police Commissioner Adenaike is ineffective in this case; Senator Nenadi Usman, whose husband is busy killing Gbyagi people and grabbing their lands, and Southern Kaduna elected politicians- all of them- are missing in action. Our traditional rulers are powerless (some, as in the case of Jere, are part of the problem). But all is not lost your Excellency. There is still hope. The situation in Southern Kaduna has been diagnosed and prognoses given through conferences, personal letters to the government of Kaduna State, and Government panels. SOKAD has participated and suggested short and long term solutions to the problem employing many of these avenues. Recently, we made submission to the National Conference and made it explicit that Southern Kaduna does not want the fragmentation of Nigeria. We want to remain One United Nigeria, but that one of the long term solutions to the Southern Kaduna question is a new state. But before then, the pogrom in Southern Kaduna must stop through short term solutions. Here are some short term solutions: We join our young men and women: Concerned Southern Kaduna Youths ( CSKY) in asking that a State of Emergence be declared in Southern Kaduna. We are aware of your constitutional limitation in this area, but it is within your Executive abilityt to request of the Federal Government. The state must give adequate and timely compensations to victims. Compensation of victims of this pogrom should be the responsible of State and Federal Governments, not Local Governments. It is farming season and the victims of the recent killings in Sanga Local Government, must be fully and timely rehabilitated and compensated All the Fulani herders must be evacuated and be restricted to the Grazing Reserves in that part of the state. Those who are not Nigerians should be deported from the country. If is legal for the Fulani herdsmen to own guns, it should be legal for farmers to do so. There should be tighter security measures to prevent the proliferation of arms by Boko Haram into the state, particularly Southern Kaduna. This can be done by a coordinated program of inspecting Fulani homes, Mosques, Churches, and professionally manned checkpoints. Much as we thank the ordinary soldier, police, and SS officer, and do understand that they, too, are victims of poor funding and inadequate security infrastructures, the manning of checkpoints should be done by security personal of indigenes of the area and not Boko Haram sympathizers- for we have evidence that there are many. Each village should have a state supported/funded vigilant group. The perpetrators of the killings must be arrested and punished. There is no evidence that since the pogrom in Southern Kaduna gathered full speed as the aftermath of the 2011 Presidential election, anyone has been punished. There should a quarterly state report providing the statistics of attempted/failed attacks, successful attacks, places that were attacked, victims and their socio-demographic characteristics; and most vitally, the arrests and convictions of the perpetrators. In conclusion, Your Excellency, SOKAD has come to the realization of the inaction of the State government in Southern Kaduna. If our people wait for the government or state to protect them, it will not happen; many more lives will be lost and we shall loose our ancestral lands. The people have waited too long for the state. While short and long term solutions are negotiated, the Government, traditional rulers and Local Governments should embark on encouraging the people to protect themselves: each house, each family, each clan, each village should organize and protect its members and should no longer wait for security forces to come which may not come or come too late. Southern Kaduna people should be informed that the fact the Fulani herdsmen have not attacked their village or their family doesnt mean they are safe; they should be vigilant and sleep with one eye open. Respectfully, Signed: Aminu Likita, MD, MPH, President Freeman Kamuru, PhD, MD, Secretary General Ibrahim A. Maikori, M.Ed, Financial Secretary CC: Deputy Governor, Kaduna State Traditional Rulers, Southern Kaduna National Assembly Senators and Representatives, Southern Kaduna State Assembly members, Southern Kaduna Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Local Government Councils, Southern Kaduna Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Human Rights Groups. https://facebook/groups/paff.789/ Paffcomm paffcomm
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:21:21 +0000