Sola Ojo, Kaduna
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus of the Kaduna State House of Assembly on Friday talked tough over the renewed killings in the southern part of the State describing the federal government silence on the development as “worrisome”.
The lawmakers who stated this when they visited the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, added that the body language of both the state and federal governments towards the killings in the area do not reflect a genuine interest in tackling security issues in the region.
To these elected representatives from the area, government’s style, both at the State and Federal levels in response to the attacks on their communities has consequently emboldened the attackers with the claims that the attacks were reprisals.
The lawmakers alleged that, since the inception of El-Rufai’s administration in 2015, Southern Kaduna has not known peace as a result of incessant attacks by armed militia with the resultant consequences of loss of lives, livestock and properties.
Speaking on behalf of the Caucus, Emmanuel Bako Kantiok (Zonkwa Constituency), noted that the justification of the attacks on Southern Kaduna by Senior Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari (Media and Publicity) Garba Shehu was uncalled for.
According to them, it was evident from the press statement of the President’s media aide that there was no attempt to condemn the attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna or
any attempt even pretentious to commiserate with the bereaved.
These lawmaker also frown at the silent and in-action of the Kaduna state government in the recent attacks on Kajuru, Kaura and Zango-Kataf local government areas.
To the Caucus, “as elected representatives of the people, we are worried that these attacks, massacre and destruction of properties particularly in Southern Kaduna are unabating and we have a responsibility to remind the Government to live up to its responsibilities.
“Government style both at the State and Federal levels in response to these attacks have been passive and non-challant, and have consequently embolden the attackers with the usual narrative that the attacks are reprisals but in no way condemning the attacks and the attackers”.
They then called on both the State and Federal Government to acknowledge that life of Nigerians and those in Southern Kaduna matter.
They also called on the attackers to stop justifying the attacks on the guise of reprisals, urging the government to rise to its responsibilities of protecting lives and properties of the people of Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and the country at large to avoid a descent to anarchy.
“We equally call on the people of Southern Kaduna to remain vigilant, calm, law-abiding and avoid taking the laws into their own hands.
Every citizen has a responsibility to co-operate with the law enforcement agents and to provide information and report any suspected miscreant”, the Caucus added.