Barometer
When Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, whimsically challenged the monarchs of Southern Kaduna to point out lands that had been taken by what they alleged to be incursionary-minded aggressors, he displayed, yet again, his reluctance to open-mindedly address security concerns in his state. The world is appalled by the killings, and the responsibility of ending the problem lies squarely with the governor. But he has seemed to quibble endlessly.
The governor does not mind that whatever steps he believes he has taken have so far been unsuccessful and have only worsened the crisis. In coming to a conclusion, and so that he does not appear one-sided, he should have taken cognisance of the fears of the Southern Kaduna Elders Forum (SOKAF) and the Southern Kaduna People’s Forum (SOKAPU). Both bodies have insisted that the attacks were by land grabbers and not by herdsmen focused on vengeance.
Said SOKAPU’s Jonathan Asake last month: “Each time there is an attack on a community, he (el-Rufai) imposes a curfew on the community and it becomes double jeopardy for the people. Even with the curfew, the invaders still return to kill more people. Their motive is clear. It is the land in Southern Kaduna. The people that come to kill in Southern Kaduna do not come with cattle and they don’t kill people in their farms. They kill people on their beds while sleeping. They invade the communities at night or very early in the morning to kill women and children. Are the women and children farmers? Government knows more than what is going on. We know that the motive is to take over the lands. They want to sack the communities from their ancestral lands and change the demographics for their own interest.”
Last week, SOKAPU again alleged that 33 people were killed in the attacks on Wednesday, August 5, and that “truckloads of armed Fulani militia made their way through military checkpoints under the curfew and stormed Apiashyim and Kibori villages, killing, looting and burning houses…While the attackers were busy killing, no attempt was made to stop them.”
These allegations are too grave to be taken lightly. But Mallam el-Rufai remains unconvinced, Said he: “Part of the misleading narrative on the crisis is a false claim of genocide and land grabbing that is being made now, just as they were made without any basis during the 2016/2017 crisis. As governor, I authorise any traditional ruler to tell the media about any inch of land within their domain that has been forcibly grabbed or illegally occupied by anybody or group.” Forcibly? Well, the devil is in the detail.
But it is now his word against theirs, that is, they who were witnesses to the tragic killings. He is, as he has been careful to note, the governor of the state, and has a responsibility to provide security and welfare for the people. Their cries were first for help, before they became accusations. The governor may find it more responsible to display sympathy in both his official and personal capacity if he is to be believed as caring about the victims’ plights. More importantly, his first task is to stop the killings before tackling the disputed narratives.
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