‘This madness must stop’ — Sultan speaks on southern Kaduna killings

Sa’ad Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto, has called for an end to the killings in southern Kaduna.

The region has experienced recurring violence that has led to the loss of lives and properties.

Speaking at the meeting of Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council in Kaduna on Monday, the monarch described the crisis as a “madness that must stop immediately”.

He called on those involved in the killings to stop the dastardly act, declaring that “enough is enough”.

The sultan said “no man in his right senses go on a killing spree of innocent people under whatever guise.”

The traditional ruler also accused politicians of fueling the crisis, appealing to Nigerians not to be used as tools of violence.

“If you keep on igniting killings based on ethno-religious differences because it is the innocent children that are killed while that of the elites are protected” he said.

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, said southern Kaduna crisis has lingered since the first Kasuwan Magani riot in Kajuru local government area in 1980.

He said his administration has been making efforts to end the killings and restore peace.

The governor added that a military base and mobile police depot were established in the area while the air force and strike force personnel had been deployed in the zone.

He said equipment like drones and GSM trackers are being used to neutralise bandits in the state.

“Kaduna is a mini-Nigeria with over 52 ethnic groups, meaning that 10 percent of Nigeria’s ethnic groups are from Kaduna state,” he said.

“The danger of it is that, crimes committed by criminals for their own selfish motives are given ethno-religious interpretations.”