By Emma Ogbuehi
Prominent civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has accused Kaduna state government under Governor Nasir El’Rufai, of discriminatory practices against Southern part of the state, stressing that the trend offends Section 42 of the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
In a release by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the Director, National Media Affairs, Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA , regretted that El-Rufai who is governing a multi-religious and multi-ethnic state like Kaduna would resort to discriminatory tendencies, evident from most of his policies against the Christian dominated southern Kaduna region of the state. The organisation cited instances of such practices which it said, run against the Constitution.
“For instance, the 19th Fulani Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, ascended the throne following the demise of Alhaji Dr. Shehu Idris. Though the Fulani Emir Shehu Idris met his maker on 20 September 2020 through natural causes, he has already been effectively replaced. However, the Christian First Class Chief of Adara Kingdom was kidnapped on 19 October and assassinated on 26 October 2018. Two years down the line, he is yet to be replaced”, it alleged.
HURIWA further alleged that on the 22 October 2018, three days after the kidnap of the Adara indigenous chief, Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State gave a state broadcast without mentioning it. In contrast, just minutes after it was made public, the demise of the Emir of Zazzau, he declared three days holiday, instructing that the national flag be flown at half-mast in honour of the deceased.
It also noted that following the killings of innocent citizens in Southern Kaduna and reports accusing governor El-rufai of taking sides, the governor, not too long ago faulted the report by accusing the leaders of Southern Kaduna of wanting him to appease them and describing them as criminals.
“While we are yet to hear any policy targeted at re-settling and compensating Southern Kaduna People who are the victims of the heinous attacks, in the December 3, 2016 report by Vangurad Newspaper, Governor El’Rufai was quoted to have said that his government has traced some violent, aggrieved Fulani to their countries and paid them to stop the killings of Southern Kaduna natives”, the group remarked.
It lamented that despite assurances from both the federal and Kaduna State governments to nip the crisis in the bud, the spiraling of the attacks indicates that the perpetrators were yet to sheathe their swords against communities in Southern Kaduna and yet not one killer is punished but rather El’Rufai turns back to accuse the leaders of Southern Kaduna for being lazy.
HURIWA stressed that while the senseless murder is not desirable in any part of the state or Nigeria, the continuous assault of the Southern Kaduna people has become highly suspicious and alarming, adding that only a fool or somebody who is a party to the evil would not know that there is something fishy.
It also expressed shock that the Presidency described the bloodshed in Southern Kaduna as politically motivated, questioning the statistics for arriving at the conclusion.
The organisation cited relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution and other international legal instruments that Nigeria is a signatory to condemn the discriminatory practices in Kaduna.
It called on the Kaduna State Government to as a matter of urgency, revise the scrapping of the Adara chiefdom and initiate the process of selection of the next indigenous Adara chief, stressing that the indigenous Adara people are not lesser humans in the context of the Nigerian state.
It urged the governor to guard his comments, noting that his recent verbal attacks at the critical stakeholders of Southern Kaduna clearly betrayed lack of tolerance that has undermined a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
It tasked the federal government to wake up from its deep slumber to lead the charge and urgently arrest the security and discriminatory situation in Kaduna from deteriorating further.
HURIWA asked the federal government to consider the convocation of a peace summit of all stakeholders in Southern Kaduna to resolve all lingering disputes pertaining to ownership of land and address issues of mutual suspicion. It called for the arrest and prosecution of those perpetrating mayhem against the Christians and indigenes of the southern part of the state.
HURIWA urged the Federal Government to take a second look at the reports of the different Commissions of Inquiry set up on the Southern Kaduna crisis, and summon the required political will to implement recommendations in the interest of peace.
