Leaders intervene in Southern Kaduna crisis

 Some leaders under the name, Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), on Tuesday met in Kaduna seeking a solution to the intractable crisis in the southern part of the state.

The parley held at Kagarko council secretariat with traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government officials and members of the Fulani community in attendance.

Spokesman of the CNG, Suleiman Abdul-Azeez, said the meeting was not for apportioning blame but to find a solution to the violence, and promote peaceful coexistence in the area.

The chair of the board of trustees of CNG, Nastura Ashir Sheriff, urged everyone to let go of the past, embrace peace and shun all forms of animosity and mutual suspicion.

At the end of the peace parley, which lasted over three hours, leaders of all the ethnic and religious groups agreed that the killings were uncalled for and counterproductive.

In Jos, the Plateau State capital, deputy chair of Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Istifanus Gyang urged Governor Nasir El-Rufai to bring the crisis in Southern Kaduna to an end, adding that more security personnel should be deployed in the area to curb the violence.

In Delta State, the Archbishop of Bendel Province of the Church of Nigerian Anglican Communion, Dr. Cyril Odutemu called for an urgent restructuring of the country’s security architecture in order to scale back the violence perpetrated by bandits and killers herdsmen.

Speaking in Ughelli at this year’s synod, Odutemi added his voice to the clamour for community policing, saying, “It is a known fact that local intelligence security is best done by residents of the area. In many nations of the world, every local area is secured by employed residents who would work selflessly to secure their loved ones.”

In Abuja, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, urged the nation’s Armed Forces to be ahead of cyberspace criminals while carrying out their responsibilities of protecting and securing the nation.

Dr. Pantami was speaking at a forum where he announced that a draft policy document on virtual meetings and engagements to promote digital economy was ready and  awaiting approval by the Federal Executive Council.

He stressed the significance of a digital economy alongside cybersecurity to the economic prosperity of the country.

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule said his administration was committed to the state’s growth, and won’t be distracted by the security challenges, one of which is banditry.

He spoke when traditional rulers visited him at Government House, Lafia.  ( The Nation)