Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Following the killings of 66 persons during a communal clash in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State about a week ago, Fulani youths across the country have pledged not to take the laws into their hands but warned that enough is enough of the killing of their people in the area.

In a statement in Kaduna, the National President of Fulani Youths under the aegis of Jonde Jam Fulani Youth Association of Nigeria (JAFUYAN), Alhaji Saidu Maikano, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El-rufai, to find a lasting solution to the perennial crisis in the zone.

Maikano recalled that over the years, there had been peaceful co-existence between the Fulani people and the natives, wondering what had gone wrong to bring about the animosity between them in recent times.

He noted that there was a symbiotic economic relationship between the Fulani and the native farmers whereby the crop farmers came out occasionally to take cow dung from the cattle breeders in exchange for grains.

The Fulani youth leader said: “We won’t take the laws into our hands; lets us pray for the dead that God may grant them eternal rest.

“But enough is enough for whoever is causing this crisis so that we can continue to live in peace with one another irrespective of our religious and tribal differences.”

He, however, blamed the Nigerian government for the incessant killings in Southern Kaduna, and called on the political leaders to take proactive measures to end the ugly situation.

The youth leader said that if the government had prosecuted culprits of southern Kaduna killings since 1992 when the bloody Zango-Kataf riots erupted, the current ugly incidents wouldn’t have occurred again.

“However, this is not to say that we believe in vengeance; we have left everything that happened to Allah, and we will ensure that we live peacefully with our neighbours just as they will also live in peace with us.

“We are therefore calling on both the Federal and state governments to put in place all necessary measures in order to forestall future occurrence.

“It is with a heavy heart that we totally condemn the killing of the chief in southern Kaduna.

“The constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria has provided that every citizen has a right to live wherever he or she wants without any molestation from anybody.

“We are also calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate all the cattle routes that have been occupied by farmers to as a matter of urgency return them back; this will go a long way in solving the problems between Fulani herdsmen and farmers,” Maikano said.