El-Rufai cautions citizens against religious violence

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, at the weekend cautioned those using religion and ethnicity to pursue self-interests to desist, warning that such acts would not be tolerated in the state.

The governor spoke when he delivered an address at the 2016 Khituk Gwong held in Fadan Kagoma, Jema’a Local Council of the state.

El-Rufai said: “We have noticed that there are groups and persons that have in the past made a living by promoting prejudice and specialising in incitements. They distort public discourse, every issue, policy or appointment as an outlet to vent religious, ethnic and sectional viewpoints.”

According to him: “What we cannot allow is the continuation of such blackmail, the expectation that if you make yourself sufficiently obnoxious and incendiary the government will use public funds to settle you. That was the kind of environment the other party encouraged.”

“People and parties with such mindset are mistaken, as the only settlement they are likely to get is with the law, which will definitely take its course against illegal and anti-social conduct. The exploitation of religious and ethnic diversity as a tool to divide people and set them against each other will no longer be permitted in Kaduna State.”

El-Rufai also highlighted the successes recorded by the government in the area of security, pointing out that; “as we come together to navigate the stormy economic waters, the government will continue to uphold social cohesion and security as foundational priorities.”

He added: “Our state has been ravaged by insecurity under the previous administration. We have confronted that state of affairs head-on and by the Grace of Almighty God, reduced the frequency and levels of senseless killings in southern Kaduna, intense cattle rustling in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun and other parts of the state, and other violent crimes.

“The emergence of kidnapping and armed robbery as serious threats is now being addressed by the law enforcement agencies, and we hope to see these reduced to a minimum as well by God’s grace. But other unseen threats remain.”