PDP LAWMAKERS CALL FOR URGENT ACTION AGAINST SOUTHERN KADUNA KILLINGS


July 24, 2020



People’s Democratic Party (PDP) minority caucus of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has called on government, security agencies to find an urgent solutions to the spate of attacks, killings and kidnappings in Southern Kaduna, particularly in Chikun, Kajuru, Kaura, Sanga, Kauru and Zangon-Kataf Local Government Areas and Kaduna State as a whole.

The lawmakers also indicted the state and federal governments of non-challant attitude towards ensuring that peace reign in Southern Kaduna.


The group said government’s style both at the State and Federal in response to the attacks on their communities, has consequently embolden the attackers with the claims that the attacks are reprisals.

The lawmakers who disclosed their displeasure over the spate of attacks and killings of their kinsmen during a briefing at the NUJ Secretariat, Kaduna Council, on Friday explained that since the inception of the el-Rufai administration in 2015, Southern Kaduna has not known peace as a result of incessant attacks by armed militia with the resultant consequences of loss of lives and properties.

The lawmakers said that the government approach has encouraged the attackers to feel justified to continue with the attacks.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Hon. Emmanuel Bako Kantiok also explained that the justification of the attacks on Southern Kaduna by Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu is uncalled for.

While speaking, the lawmaker said, it is evident from the press statement of the President’s media aide that there was no attempt to condemn the attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna or was there any attempt even pretentious to commiserate with the bereaved.

He decried the silent and in-action of the Kaduna state government in the recent attacks on Kajuru, Kaura and Zango-Kataf local government area.

” As elected representatives of the people, we are worried that these attacks, massacre and destruction of properties particularly in Southern Kaduna are unabating and we have a responsibility to remind the Government to live up to its responsibilities,” the group said.

The Southern Kaduna lawmakers therefore called on both the State and Federal Government to acknowledge that life of Nigerians and that Southern Kaduna matters.

While calling on the attackers to stop justifying the attacks on the guise of reprisals, the lawmakers urged the governments to rise to its responsibilities of protecting the lives and properties of the people of Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and the country at large to avoid a descent to anarchy.

According to them, “We the representatives of the people of Southern Kaduna elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are saddened by the spate

of attacks, killings and kidnappings in Southern Kaduna, particularly in
Chikun, Kajuru, Kaura, Sanga, Kauru and Zangon-Kataf Local Government
Areas and Kaduna State as a whole and feel obliged to address you
gentlemen of the press.

Tt is on record that since the inception of this administration in 2015,
Southern Kaduna has not known peace as a result of incessant attacks by
armed militia with the resultant consequences of loss of lives and properties.

The communities that have suffered this senseless attacks and killings in
Southern Kaduna are too numerous to mention and the victims, both living
and the dead too numerous to count.

2. Regrettably however, Government style both at the State and Federal
levels in response to these attacks have been passive and non-challant,
and have consequently embolden the attackers with the usual narrative
that the attacks are reprisals but in no way condemning the attacks
and the attackers. By the Government approach, the attackers feel
justified to continue with the attacks.

3. The latest of this unfortunate justification of these attacks on the
people of Southern Kaduna is the press statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity Mallam Garba Shehu where he said that “the problem in Southern Kaduna is an evil combination of politically motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic
and religious grounds”

It is evident from the press statement by the Senior Special Assistant
to the President that there was no attempt at all to condemn the
attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna nor was there any attempt
even pretentious to commiserate with the bereaved, injured and those
who lost their properties due to no fault of theirs. The silent and in-action of the Kaduna State Government in these recent attacks in Kajuru, Kaura and Zango-Kataf Local Government Areas is more Worrisome.

4. The attitude and response of both the State and the Federal Governments to these attacks and killings clearly speak volumes of the understanding or willingness of Government to discharge its primary responsibility to the people of Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and the
country at large as envisage under Section 14 (2) (b) of our 1999
Constitution (as amended).

5. As elected representatives of the people, we are worried that these
attacks, massacre and destruction of properties particularly in Southern
Kaduna are unabating and we have a responsibility to remind the Government to live up to its responsibilities. Accordingly, we call on both the State and Federal Government to:

(i) acknowledge that the life of every citizen of Nigeria and particularly in Southern Kaduna matters and must be protected to ensure that the people enjoy their God-given right to life;

(11) Condemn all attacks and killings no matter their nature or motive and to stop justifying the attacks on the guise of reprisals. Evil in whatever form and shape is evil and must be called by its name;

(ii) rise up to its responsibilities of protecting the lives and properties of the people of Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and the Country at large to avoid a descent to anarchy.

We equally call on the people of Southern Kaduna to remain vigilant,
calm, law abiding and avoid taking the laws into their own hands.
Every citizen has a responsibility to co-operate with the law enforcement agents and to provide information and report any suspected miscreant.

Finally, our hearts are with the bereaved families, the injured and those
that have lost their properties in all these senseless attacks to the people of Southern Kaduna.

Okay

Rubbish headline, are APC lawmakers against it?

Na the same story everytime.