Immediate past Senator who represented Kaduna Central at the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani on Monday paid a courtesy call on the National Headquarters of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) in Kaduna and condemned the recent killings in southern Kaduna region.
The region had been under attack in recent times by suspected Fulani militia, killings people in their homes and destroying property worth millions of naira.
The Kaduna State government had since imposed 24 hours curfew in the area as part of measures to curtail spread of the attacks.
However, Sani who was received by members of the National Executive Committee of SOKAPU, said. “Whenever people face cruelty, genocide, massacre and all kinds of atrocities it is the moral duty of every man of conscience to lend his voice.
“I have spoken for the people of Zamfara very elaborately.I did so for Sokoto, Katsina, Niger, Taraba State, and for Birnin Gwari in Kaduna and Borno, Benue states and host of others who are facing similar evils.
“You can’t rationalize or give excuses for an act of genocide, cruelty, mass murder, and execution of human beings.
“There is no justification for that. I speak in condemning the killings in parts, it is the same way we have to speak against what is happening in Southern Kaduna.
” If you’re a Christian or Muslim in Southern Kaduna your voice must be heard clearly, explicitly and unambiguously in condemning the killings going on, we must not shy away from the truth.
“Because silent and rationalization of such attack shows you’re in league with Banditry and terrorism.
According to him, SOKAPU must not waver in its struggle and it must not falter.
“You must not give up in standing and speaking for truth to power,” he exhorted SOKAPU
“We have never heard it so bad!” he observed. “Women are killed, Children burnt and ladies are raped and a human being will still try and find a justification by rationalization of those evil act, is unbelievable,” he said.
He noted that the violence in Kaduna is threatening the peace of Nigeria.
“It is very clearly that Muslims outside of Kaduna State are aligning with the Muslims in Kaduna State, the same thing with the Christians,” he pointed out
“Let Kaduna State not be the seed of destruction of Nigeria. If Mustapha is killed Christopher must Condemn the killing of Mustapha, so also if Christopher is killed, Mustapha must outrightly condemn his killing, but if you try to justify and rationalize the killing of Mustapha you’re already in the league with the killers.
“In pursuit of ideals and ideas there must be challenges. There will be sabotage and traitors from your own cycle who have decided to be slaves by people who enslave. There will also be a group of touts who will not understand your right to defend and protect your people.
“ When there is a systematic targeting of certain people, say it as it is. It is incumbent for those in Southern Kaduna and Northern Kaduna to know that if we don’t unite to fight these terrorists we’ll end up fighting ourselves.
” The people of Southern Kaduna have no any other place to go. You’re African indigenous people. There is no indigenous Bajju, Jaba or Ikulu in Sokoto , you can only find them there. They are not Gombe or Zamfara State as natives of these places. They are only in Southern Kaduna.
“By simple historical and social development those Southern Kaduna is pure African Indigenous tribes.
“ I am a Hausa man and I can claim to say I am from Jigawa State or Sokoto State but you Bajju you cannot. That shows the peculiarity of the Southern Kaduna people.
“Any other person can claim to come from anywhere except the people of Southern Kaduna. It is not an idea but it is the truth.
“The Southern Kaduna People have no any history that they migrated from Babylon, or Damascus. That means right from creation you have been created to be in that place.
“Continue to defend what is right and just of your people. I keep tab of everything that is going on in Southern Kaduna, I have images, videos. I have a library where I document everything.
“Those among you who will betray your cause will have no any place to go rather than to come back to you at the end of the day.
In his response, the President of SOKAPU, Hon. Jonathan Asake, expressed his pleasure with the visit of the former Senator, saying Kaduna state had never been so divided.
Asake said that Senator Sani’s voice before he went into the Senate, while in the red chamber and now out of it, had been consistent on speaking for the suppressed and for justice and fairness
“You are one of the few voices that have refused to betray the course of Justice even when you ascended into governance,” he said.
SOKAPU leader called on all the indigenes and residents of Kaduna state to join hands and seek for a solution to the violence in the state.