By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON, Kaduna.
Senate Adhoc Committee on Southern Kaduna and Other Crisis has vowed to end crisis through interaction with stakeholders.
Chairman of Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, expressed this on Tuesday in Kaduna, when he led five other members of the committee on a visit to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna on a fact finding mission.
He stressed that the committee would interact with government, stakeholders, community leaders, security agencies towards finding a lasting solution to the crisis.
Gaya who is also the Vice President of Africa Interpaliarmentary Union told the Governor that the committee was set up by the Senate to investigate and find solution to the Southern Kaduna crisis.
He commended the governor for the efforts he has put in to tackle the situation, while appealing to all the warring parties to drop their arms for the sake of peace and development of Kaduna State.
“The committee is set up by the Senate to investigate and find solution to the Southern Kaduna crisis. Our mission is to interact, discuss with government, stakeholders, community leaders, security.
“Information received so far is commendable,” he said, urging the government to sustain the tempo to bring about peace in the state.
In his response, Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, described those linking him with killings in Southern part of the state as mischief makers.
El-Rufai said he was neither a religious bigot nor ethnic jingoist who would organise crisis in his state.
Speaking further, he called for more funding for the security agencies in the yet to be passed 2017 budget, to enable them appropriately tackle internal security challenges, like the one that was recorded recently in Southern Kaduna.
He told the visitors that his government inherited said three main problems of an urban gang called Shara Suka, cattle rustling, and communal killings.
“When we came in we met three main problems on ground, cattle rustling, urban gang and communal killings.
“As the chief security officer of the state, we really do not have control over the security agencies, we have committed so much in funding security agencies in the state. We have bought bullet proof vest and vans for security agencies. We have committed N4 billion in support of security agencies in the state.
“The state government will continue to support the security agencies in the state even though it is the responsibility of the federal government.”
On the Southern Kaduna killings, the Governor assured the Senate that he would deploy resources to facilitate the take-off of the proposed military garrison in the area.
