Killings: Your Best Not Good Enough, CAN Tells El-Rufai During Visit

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has told Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that although he is making efforts to stop the incessant killings in Southern Kaduna, his best is not good enough.

CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle stated this during his visit to the Kaduna State governor on Monday.

The text of Ayokunle’s speech was made available to THE WHISTLER by the CAN president’s spokesperson, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji.

The CAN president expressed worry about, “the recurring senseless killings and wastage of resources in Nigeria in general and Southern Kaduna,” while hoping that the interaction between the Christian body and the state government would bring an end to the problem.

Ayokunle’s speech partly read,” Let me first underscore the fact that the crisis in Southern Kaduna predates the emergence of your government. However, the fundamental reason that we are here is for your government not to allow the crisis to linger. It is on record that other administrations achieved some level of peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic and religious groups in the state. Hence, in finding a solution to the ongoing crisis, CAN believes some lessons could be learned from the past in order to draw a roadmap for the future.

“You would agree with me, Your Excellency, that one of the main responsibilities of leadership is problem-solving as it is not about the benefits or the paraphernalia of office alone. Accordingly, it was because the state had problems that was why the people recognized you as the right peg in the right hole and you were elected. Hence, your office as the governor is a trust which by the grace of God, as I pray for you, you would be able to keep and put smiles on the faces of all by working sincerely to restore peace to the places of trouble in this state in Jesus’ name.

“Secondly, sir, our coming here is not to place accusation against anyone concerning the crisis nor is it to say that the government of the day has not done anything to stop the continuous killings. It is rather to say that the present best of the government and the security agents are not good enough. It would be enough and praiseworthy when the killings stop,” he said.

Ayokunle said CAN does not enjoy criticising Governor El-Rufai, but noted that it could not fold its arms and watch, “human beings being slaughtered like animals.”

He said, “It is because, not only our heart is bleeding, but that of God our Creator and Maker as well. Whenever you see us complain to your government or the federal government, it is because we have no other person to cry or look up to but you and the security agents. We equally cry because of the economic downturn this perennial crisis is bringing to the state. We cry out against the killings because of the negative image the continuous crisis is bringing to the state and our nation in the international community. If people say that it is religious or ethnic, we do not have the right to say they are foolish or should shut up because the continuing crisis has given them room to say whatever they are saying as long as the killings continue. So, the government is the one who has our trust and resources to secure our communities and we have the legitimate right to challenge the government to empirically convince us that it is doing that.

“On many occasions, when I read of ‘unknown gunmen’ and it ends there, I wonder whether it is not the duty of those governing us to make sure that the “unknown gunmen” are ‘known’ and brought to book! When bandits, herdsmen, Boko Haram, religious fundamentalists or even, cattle rustlers strike, the people would have had the rest of mind and firm belief in the government and security agents if they had pursued them to wherever they came from and made sure that they were brought to book. If such people had been brought to book before, the proportion was a far cry from the frequency of attacks and killings. The people causing trouble are not spirits, so, it should not be too difficult to apprehend them and bring them to book. If there are people sponsoring them, a thorough investigation should be able to fish them out and cause them to face the wrath of the law.

“Your Excellency, if we continue to watch people do reprisal attacks without making both sides responsible for taking laws into their hands, we would be guilty of legitimizing criminality. Whoever attacks first and whoever is doing reprisal are both criminals that must be made to face the wrath of the law,” he said.

Ayokunle further said CAN was ready to partner with Governor El-Rufai’s administration to find a solution to the crisis, adding that, “Let there be a round table discussion and a pledge of cooperation rather than confrontation in finding a solution to this wicked and embarrassing development.”