The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called for an end to the killings in southern Kaduna.
The southern Kaduna part of the state has experienced recurring violence that has led to the loss of lives and properties in the last few months.
Speaking at the meeting of Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council in Kaduna on Monday, the monarch described the crisis as a “madness that must stop immediately”.
The monarch called on those involved in the killings to stop the dastardly act, declaring that “enough is enough”. The sultan said “no man in his right senses can go on a killing spree of innocent people under whatever guise.”
The traditional ruler also accused politicians of fueling the crisis, appealing to Nigerians not to be used as tools of violence.
“If you keep on igniting killings based on ethno-religious differences because it is the innocent children that are killed while that of the elites are protected” he said.
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, said southern Kaduna crisis has lingered since the first Kasuwan Magani riot in Kajuru local government area in 1980.
He said his administration has been making efforts to end the killings and restore peace.
The governor added that a military base and mobile police depot were established in the area while the air force and strike force personnel had been deployed in the zone.
He said equipment like drones and GSM trackers are being used to neutralise bandits in the state.
“Kaduna is a mini-Nigeria with over 52 ethnic groups, meaning that 10 percent of Nigeria’s ethnic groups are from Kaduna state,” he said.
“The danger of it is that, crimes committed by criminals for their own selfish motives are given ethno-religious interpretations.”
The violence and attacks in Southern part of Kaduna state have led to the killing of hundreds of people in the last few weeks and many commentators have condemned the state and federal government for failing to protect the life and property of the residents of that part of the country.
