SOUTHERN KADUNA CRISES AND SERIOUSNESS OF GOVERNMENT: THE WAY FORWARD.

What is the way out for the Southern Kaduna security crises that has defied solutions despite the efforts of government and stakeholders?

The situation assuming an alarming dimension which if not tackled decisively, is capable of deteriorating whatever efforts and achievements so far secured.

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has been under serious fire for his decision to give cash compensation to Fulani herdsmen who lost their cows in Southern Kaduna.

To El-Rufai, that could be the long sought way out of the crisis that have bedeviled the southern Kaduna, and it could be a bold step towards restoring peace and normalcy in the region.

But the masses feel differently about the governor’s plans and are out with all sorts of criticisms to make him drop the plans, even though he appears unyielding still.

In fact, many have even the governor’s action to mean that he actually paid the herdsmen to kill Christians and constitute nuisance in the state.

He said: The Agwai report established that most of the attacks in southern Kaduna were traced to foreign Fulani herdsmen. The former governor Patrick Yakowa also reached out to the foreign herdsmen

“One of the members of the community mentioned this and recommended reaching out to them through NGO’s to tell them we are willing to offer compensation for lost livestock.

“It is senseless to keep killing people. Between August 2015 and May 2016, there was no incidence of killing in southern Kaduna, We felt we were succeeding.

“That is the only solution we can see. We apologise, have you lost cattle and lives? We can pay.

“As the governor of Kaduna, the life of the people is on my head. I am prepared to offer you money if you feel offended; there is no apology for that. I am the one trying to solve the problem but being attacked.

“The conflict entrepreneurs derailed this peace process. There are people that have been living off this. We know churches that have received money from abroad when they claim Christians are being killed to build their churches. The death of people and destruction of properties is a business for some people.”

One of the incidents which has continued to fuel even more killings is the case of a farmer who lost some of his crops due to his neighbour’s cattle trampling on them.

Although the matter was reportedly taken to the Ardo of the Hausa-Fulani community who settled the matter by offering financial compensation, some youths were mobilised to attack the ardo who was killed during the process.

His son who luckily escaped the attacks went to Nasarawa to mobilise his people who also staged a reprisal attack which led to more killings.

This shows that the Southern Kaduna killings go beyond paying compensation fee to aggrieved persons, the government has to do more to forestall further attacks.

Good enough, El-Rufai has admitted that some people are already leveraging on the crisis to make some money.

Well, as much as we understand that El-Rufai means well for this state, this move may not be the solution after all.

Paying the herdsmen to sheath their swords may worsen the matter per se because money is intoxicating, little wonder the saying that money is the root of all evils.

What makes the governor think that the herdsmen will not continue to attack innocent citizens in order to make more money off the government.

It is just similar to a case of blackmail, once someone starts to pay to stall blackmail, he or she will continue to pay the money until the blackmailer becomes tired which in most cases rarely happens.

If the governor is not willing to continue to spend the state funds on the Fulani herdsmen, he shouldn’t have started the plan in the first place.

The best he could do is to hire security experts and make feasible plans on how to nip the menace in the bud.

Despite the attacks from all corners, El-Rufai's intention of “restoring peace through enhanced security presence, prosecuting the perpetrators of the violence and peace building among the people in the community’ will only be achieved if proper planning is done.

Culled from The Sheet