End The Carnage In Southern Kaduna, Now

It is obvious Kaduna State is gradually becoming the cynosure of banditry in Nigeria. Southern  Kaduna specifically is fast whirling into a killing field. Recently, bandits alleged to be Fulani herdsmen struck in the southern part of the State, cutting down people by the score.
There was likewise a reported killing of 11 people by gunmen in an offensive against Gora Gan village of Zango Kataf Local Government Area. The onslaught came only 24 hours after about 21 people were murdered by supposed bandits at Kukum Daji village in neighbouring Kaura Local Government Area.
In addition, 24 people were purportedly massacred by gunmen in seeming collaborative attacks in three communities of Zango Kataf Local Government Area. Within the period, gory images of slain persons in Southern Kaduna crammed the media space. Again, in March this year, 11 people were reportedly slaughtered despite the curfew imposed on the State to stave off the spread of COVID-19.
Similarly, over 30 people were killed on May 12, 2020, by presumed herdsmen in Kajuru Local Government Area of the State. In the past few weeks, there had been several other reports of killings, especially in the southern part of the State, with several people in hospitals receiving treatment from injuries caused by gunshots.
Regrettably, these assaults and many others occur amid available information that southern Kaduna basks in extensive security deployments, including the Army, Special Forces of both the Army and the Air Force, surveillance aircraft by the Air Force and a squadron of the mobile police force that are on the ground on a 24-hour basis to obviate criminality and keep the peace.
The Presidency had earlier asserted that the problem of insecurity in the area was more sophisticated than many people were inclined to admit. According to Presidency sources, the situation in Southern Kaduna is a combination of politically-motivated banditry, retributive killings and reciprocal violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious bases.
That explanation by the Presidency is provocative and unacceptable. Such a statement amounts to defence for the continual violence. It is immaterial whether the killings were inspired by vengeance, religio-ethnic factors or politics. Is this why no one is charged for the crimes? The government must realise that it is obligated to the citizens for the protection of their lives and property and hence, must stop the outrageous acts.
We are indeed horrified by the ostentatious show of violence, bloodshed and devastation in Southern Kaduna. Consequently, we advise the government at all levels to halt the horrendous trend immediately more so as the military has been strained beyond their threshold with security operations all over the country.
It is common knowledge that our armed forces have been engaged in the war against insurgency in the North East, and banditry in the North West and parts of the North Central respectively. These are in addition to the kidnappings and other criminality being perpetrated on a high scale all over the country.
The relentless killings in Southern Kaduna should be of a considerable burden to the government since they have failed abysmally to secure the citizenry, mainly the people of Southern Kaduna. The Presidency’s insistence that troop deployments in the area can encompass the bloodshed going on is most unfortunate, the reaction by the State government is no better.
In the build-up to the 2019 polls, Governor Nasir El-Rufai admitted that the State he governed was ravaged by internal contretemps. Hear him: “No matter who I choose as my running mate, even if I choose the Pope, 67 per cent of the Christians in Southern Kaduna have made up their minds that they will never vote for me. This is what the polls show. So, for me, that is not the issue.
“The issue is this: Kaduna State is divided, it needs to be united. The way to begin to unite it is to take religion or ethnicity off the table. Since 1992, every deputy governor of Kaduna has been a Christian. What has it done for the state? Has it united the state? Has it assuaged the feelings of the Christian minority?”
Since the governor knew that there was no love lost between him and the people of Southern Kaduna, he should have resolved his brawls with them, win their trust and take the battle to the criminals. This has not been done. Rather, the relationship between him and the people of Southern Kaduna has deteriorated in recent times, with many of them denouncing his response to the homicides.
On its part, the Federal Government must utilise resources at its disposal to assist the Kaduna State government to end the bloodshed. Many residents of Southern Kaduna claim that the killers are Fulani bandits. That is why President Muhammadu Buhari and El-Rufai need to dispel the impression that they have failed to halt the killings because they are of the same ethnic stock as the culprits.
We maintain that the reason for the recurring crises in parts of Kaduna State is the inability of the authorities to deal decisively with felons and perpetrators of the killings. Nevertheless, in this onerous task of finding a peaceful solution to the crises in the troubled State, the government needs the backing of political, religious and traditional rulers. Everyone must be orientated towards one direction – peace and religious tolerance.