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Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Following the recent and previous killings in Southern Kaduna by suspected Fulani herdsmen, a group under the auspices of Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders’ Association (SKCLA), has demanded N50 billion as compensation from the Federal Government for the destruction of property during the bloody crisis.
The body which comprises all Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna, said the killing of its kinsmen was worrisome as the area has endured the pains for so long.
In a statement made available to Sunday Sun, chairman of the Christian leaders, Bishop Simon Peters Mutum said: “A careful study shows that the factors of religion, land and ethnicity were the tools used in the past, and still being deployed, to the disadvantage of our people in Southern Kaduna.”
Bishop Mutum said the demand for the compensation was one of the recommendations needed for peaceful coexistence in the area.
He recalled the wanton destruction of property and killings that took place in various communities in Southern Kaduna from January 2019 to July 2020, saying that the victims were “peaceful and unarmed persons in Christian communities.”
However, he called on Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i, to use his position as the chief security officer of the state to confront the killers believed to be hiding in bushes with equal zeal as being demonstrated to contain the novel Coronavirus.
“From our assessment, our people have lost so much in terms of property. We call on the government to work out immediate modalities for paying compensations worth N50 b.
“We recommend that as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hinged on justice and fairness for all, irrespective of creed or region, especially the underpinnings of the Federal Character Commission, we call for inclusion of our people in federal and state government appointments.
“As Christians and Christian leaders, we are worried over the state of things, the state of our people and the nation at large. Southern Kaduna area has suffered economic, political and social marginalisation from the period of the colonialists, pre-independence as well as post-independence eras,” Mutum.
