Southern Kaduna leaders are ‘criminals’, I’ll make sure they’re arrested —El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, may have further fanned the flames of division in the state by dismissing the concerns of Southern Kaduna leaders and tagging them “criminals.”

He also said his administration would not appease trouble-makers.

Some leaders in Southern Kaduna had accused the governor of taking sides in the clashes between various ethnic and religious groups in the region.

However, El-Rufai, who appeared on a Channels Television programme, “Sunday Politics,” said the crisis rocking Southern Kaduna has a 40-year history, and past and present governments in the state had tried to stabilise the region.

He also countered Southern Kaduna leaders’ claim that he was taking sides in the crisis.

READ ALSO:  INSECURITY: Gov El-Rufai welcomes deployment of Special Forces to Southern Kaduna

The governor said: “I have no time for nonsense. I will not appease criminals. I will not appease idle people who have nothing to do but to raise a spectre of genocide. They do that to get money into their bank accounts and get donations from abroad instead of standing up.

“Anyone that is moderate anyone that is promoting peaceful co-existence between various ethnic groups is considered a sellout. And a governor like me, who does not appease them because they are used to being appeased, they cause troubles, they organise these killings and then, their leaders are invited by the governor, they wine and dine and they are given brown envelopes. That’s what they have been doing for 20 years.

“And we came into office and we said no more, nobody who does not encourage peaceful co-existence will have access to the governor or the Government House. I have no time for them. I am using the security agents to carefully mark them and when we accumulate enough evidence, we will get them and put them before a judge.”

“Most of the people saying that have no means of livelihood; they were living off the governments. The governments before us were paying them money every month, they called it peace money. We stopped it. This is why they say I am taking sides. Whatever they say, I take it. I am the governor of the state. If they don’t abuse me, who will they abuse?”

 

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