‘We are suffering under you’ — Adara people write el-Rufai

The Adara Development Association (ADA), an umbrella body for the Adara ethnic nationality in Kajuru and Kachia local government areas of Kaduna state, has written a letter to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, highlighting their plights under his administration.

In the letter jointly signed by Awemi Maisamar, president of ADA, and Luke Waziri, the assistant secretary, the association accused the state government of insensitivity and discrimination against the Adara people.

The community complained about the “widespread criminality and dastardly attacks in Adara land” and the suffering of victims of the various Kajuru attacks which led to killings and destruction of homes.

It alleged that the “predominantly Christian population in Kajuru has been subordinated under a tiny minority Muslim population in the newly created Kajuru emirate.

“The immediate and urgent concerns of Adara community are the widespread criminality and dastardly attacks in Adara land, the suffering of IDPs and other crisis victims, the assassination of HRH Agom Adara, the scrapping of Adara Chiefdom, the partitioning of Adara community in to two, the subordination of our people in Kachia LGA under a proposed Kachia Chiefdom, the subordination of the predominantly Christian population in Kajuru LGA under a tiny minority Muslim population in Kajuru Emirate and the refusal of government to engage with or at least be sensitive to the concerns and feelings of the community in any way during this dark period,” the letter read.

“While all the concerns and true representatives of Adara community are being deliberately and contemptuously ignored, the wishes and interests of Hausa/Fulani Muslim residents of our community are being aggressively promoted.

“The clearest examples of such discriminatory actions are the ongoing emergency N3billion project for the reconstruction of Kasuwan Magani market followed by the forceful reopening of the market on the site and first anniversary of the massacre of more than 200 hundred people.

“From September (2019) to date, there have been persisting security breaches and criminality all over our community.

“Government has been unable to address these challenges. And yet the Kajuru Local Government Council deployed 250 security personnel to forcefully reopen the Kasuwan Magani market and is even threatening to compel other communities to close their local markets to patronize the ill-fated market.

“Adara community regards the above developments as highly insensitive and provocative thereby sustaining an already volatile atmosphere.

“Because of the above reasons, Adara community, in general, does not and will not support the reopening of the Kasuwan Magani market and the reconstruction project.”

The association added that it will only support the project when the government retraced “its discriminatory inclinations and taken appropriate measures to engage the community so as to address the interests, concerns, suspicions, and fears of Adara nation”.