CAN blames El-Rufai, Imams for prolonged southern Kaduna crisis

• UN, NBA wade into killings as farmers, herdsmen clash claims four
• Cattle breeders want Ishaku to resign over advice to Christians

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Council of Imams and Ulama of condoning the massacre in Southern Kaduna communities and prolonging the crisis.

CAN also condemned the recent call by the Council urging for the arrest of CAN officials, political and ethnic leaders.

A statement by the National General Secretary of CAN, Dr. Musa Asake, yesterday, blamed the escalation of the attacks and killings by the Fulani herdsmen on the inability of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the Islamic clerics to call the terrorists to order.

“When Church leaders under the banner of CAN kept praying for Southern Kaduna and other affected areas in the country, visiting traumatized communities and softly calling on government to do the needy, this Council of Imams was silent and invisible.’’

Also, CAN in the 17 Southern states of the country yesterday said governor Nasir El-Rufai should be held responsible for the killing of Christians in the state.

A statement by the Secretary, Joseph Aka Ajujunwa and Chairman, Prof David Eberechukwu, said they were surprised that the governor could not intervene on the southern Kaduna killings until several Christians were murdered and displaced.

They said it was regrettable that the governor, who took oath of office to protect lives and property in the state was now looking the other way while residents of the Southern Kaduna were being slaughtered.

When The Guardian spoke with the media aide to the governor, Samuel Aruwan, on telephone over CAN’s allegation, he said: “ I have not seen the statement and more so, I have been sick and just discharged from the hospital.”

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has also called for an urgent probe into the killings.

It maintained that the carnage was a violation of rights of citizens in the community.

Meanwhile, the United Nation, through its special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Dr. Agnes Callamard, yesterday confirmed probing the killings.

The probe is expected to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice as well provide reparations to victims.

In a related development, no fewer than four people were killed in a clash between farmers and herdsmen in Sabon Daga community of Bosso local government area of Niger State yesterday.

The clash resulted when some farmers attempted to deny herders and their cattle access to farmland.

Meanwhile, the Taraba State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) yesterday paraded before newsmen seven suspected Fulani terrorists believed to have specialized in causing mayhem in the state.

Also from Taraba, leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association have condemned the Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku over a recent call on Christians to defend themselves against terrorists.

They asked Ishaku to resign since his government was no more capable of defending the people.

The Chairman of the association, Jauro Sahabi Mahmmud Tukur while briefing newsmen yesterday in Jalingo, said, “the lukewarm attitude of the state government to the plight of Fulani herdsmen whose cows are being attacked led to the current insecurity in the state.”

Tukur said many herdsmen were killed between July and December last year and their cattle stolen without the state government prosecuting the perpetrators despite security reports.

“The governor should resign since he had admitted that his government cannot guaranty the safety of the people in the state.”

“Between July and December 2016, 76 motorbikes belonging to herdsmen were stolen, 18 of them were killed, hundreds of cattle got missing while several Fulani women and children were abducted.”

“Despite all these crimes against Fulani herdsmen, the state governor did not invite our people for dialogue,” he stated.

“What is happening in Taraba is communal crisis and not herdsmen and farmers clashes. We have made several efforts to meet with the state governor to no avail,” the association said.