Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has inaugurated a Committee on the Prevention and Management of Communal Clashes, with an aim of ending the frequent communal clashes that have plagued the southern part of the state.
While inaugurating the committee at the Kaduna State Government House on Wednesday, Governor El-Rufai urged members to bring their wealth of experience in ensuring that the incidences of communal clashes in the state are brought to an end.
He also expressed the determination of his administration to end the continuous ethno-religious violence in some parts of the state.
The Committee is saddled with the responsibility of encouraging and facilitating dialogue among warring parties.
The Committee is also expected to conduct mediation meetings with aggrieved parties, with a bid to peaceably resolve declared differences, conduct investigation into incidents where necessary, develop and maintain frameworks and processes for the prevention and effective management of further communal clashes.
According to Governor El-Rufai, the continuous crisis in the Southern Kaduna can only be resolved by bringing the warring parties on a round table for dialogue and also establishing necessary amenities for both the farmers and Fulani herdsmen.
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin-Luther Agwai, noted that no responsible government toys with human lives, hence he and other members accepted to serve in the committee.
He assured the governor of the committee’s preparedness to ensure that lasting peace is restored in the southern part of the state.
Other members of the committee expressed optimism that with dialogue, mediation and political will, there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
The committee, which has one month to complete its assignment, has the state Commissioner of Police, representatives of traditional rulers, religious associations and retired military officers as members.
Kaduna, a state with a population of 8 million people, has witnessed several ethno-religious and political crises over the years. Prominent among them is the continuous bloody clashes between Fulani herdsmen and local farmers, especially in the southern part of the state.
Last week, some unknown gunmen killed 13 people and wounded 15 others at Katsak Community in Jema’a Local Government Area of the State during a late night attack.
Up till date, the perpetrators of the attack are yet to be apprehended. Worried by this development, the state government decided to set up this committee to look into the remote and immediate causes of the clashes.
