Kaduna Killings: SOKAPU Alleges Bias over El-Rufai’s Apology
Nasir El-Rufai
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) an umbrella body of the people from the southern part of Kaduna State, said the apology by the state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai ,to the people of Igabi and Giwa Local Areas of the state over bandits attack, smacked of double standard on the part of the governor.
The governor had last Monday apologised to residents of communities attacked by bandits in the Igabi and Giwa LGAs of the state over the killing of more than 50 persons.
However, in a statement by the National President of SOKAPU, Jonathan Asake, the people insisted that the governor’s action was an apparent display of hatred and neglect of southern Kaduna people who had been under bandits’ attacks.
Asake sympathised with the people of the two LGs over killings, but alleged that the government’s silence over the attacks on the Southern Kaduna people, were nothing but a calculated attempt to annihilate them.
He said in all the attacks in the southern part of the state, the governor had never once visited and commiserated with the people of the area.
According to him, the southern Kaduna communities are on the verge of annihilation with government not doing enough to protect them.
Asake stated, “The prompt response by el-Rufai as demonstrated in his sympathy visit may have portrayed him as a humane leader that is genuinely interested in the welfare of citizens.
”It is strange that after a series of deadly attacks on communities, mostly in the southern part, he has neither condemned it nor issue a statement on such attacks. Could this present apology be premised on rhetoric calculated at achieving some political agenda, rather than expressing genuine sympathy?
“Without equivocation, even before the dastardly attacks on Igabi and Giwa villages, several communities in southern part of the state have been invaded by kidnappers, Fulani herdsmen militia and armed bandits.
“These attacked communities in Southern Kaduna have become prone to interminable and unprovoked attacks that have led to scores of deaths, abductions and massive destruction of property.
