Yero urges interaction with violence victims

Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero yesterday asked the Committee on Peace, Security and Reconciliation set up by Inspector General Police Mohammed Abubakar to engage locals and victims of violence while carrying out their assignment.

The committee headed by Deputy Inspector General Michael Zuokumo which is to find ways of ending clashes between Fulani pastoralists and farmers in some parts of the country was in Kaduna to meet with traditional rulers, interest groups and Fulani pastoralists. About 100 villagers were killed by unknown gunmen in Kaura LGA recently.

Speaking during a courtesy visit yesterday, Governor Yero said it is only through sincere interactions with those directly affected by conflicts that the committee can identify the true causes as well as well as ways of resolving it. He said the committee should interact less with the elite who are not directly affected because they coordinate most conflicts for selfish ends.

“The crisis is not about religion or ethnicity. It is being engineered by some people using religion just in their selfish interests”, he said.

He also told the committee to hold meetings in the affected areas, saying, “The meeting should have been held in Kaura and other affected communities in order to involve people at the grassroots, so that you can sit down with the natives and Fulanis to resolve the matter.”