Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has called on the federal government to condemn the killings in Southern Kaduna, faulting the government’s seeming indifference on the issue.
Fasoranti said, in a statement published by Vanguard on Monday, January 2 2017. “It grieves us that the federal government has been quiet on these killings, relying on the governor of the state, who has openly confessed that he looked out for the killers to compensate them because they are of the same ethnic stock with him.
“A state of emergency ought to have been declared in Kaduna as the governor, by that claim, can no longer be trusted to perform his constitutional duty of protecting the lives and property of all citizens.
“We are further embarrassed by the statement credited to Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman, that our leader has been quiet on these killings because he cannot speak on every issue.
“How can the killings of citizens in hundreds be ‘every issue’? Has our President not sent messages to other countries, where tragedies of lesser proportion occurred?”
Senator Danjuma Laah, representing Southern Kaduna at the Senate, said, “As you can all recall, I have tried alongside with my colleagues at the National Assembly to seek intervention of both the state and the Federal governments to arrest the situation. Unfortunately, these actions were met with lukewarm reactions.
“I hope the presence of these large contingents of soldier, Police and Department of State Services, DSS, will lead to the arrest of culprits so that they can be brought to justice. These kinds of horrendous crimes must not go unpunished.”
He then pleaded that a supplementary budget be made and passed into law to assist affected communities.
The senator slammed the 24-hour curfew imposed over Jema’a, Kaura and Zangon Kataf LGAs of Southern Kaduna by Governor Nasir El Rufai saying the measure was punitive rather than for security measures.
