Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Wednesday inaugurated a 16-member committee to find solutions to the incessant killings in the southern part of the state.
The committee, headed by a retired army general, Martins Agwai, who is also a former Chief of Defence Staff, has 30 days to unravel the causes of the attacks.
The National Emergency Management Agency says 23, 890 people were displaced by communal clashes in Kaura, Kachia and Sanga Local Government Areas of the state in 2014.
Mr. El-Rufai said the government was determined to end the cycle of violence through dialogue.
“The cycles of killings in Southern part of Kaduna have been a source of great concern to us.
“We are concerned because communities that have lived together for hundreds of years have suddenly turned against each other.
“We know this problem can only be solved through community dialogue so as to get to the root of the problem and bring everyone to the table and hear their side”, the governor said.
According to him, the setting up of the committee is part of the government’s multi-dimensional approach in finding lasting solutions to the problem.
“The idea behind the committee was started by the previous administration, but for some reasons the committee never took off.
“When we came in and saw the idea, we thought it is a very good idea that can contribute in no small way in resolving the problems that had resulted to the killings in Southern Kaduna”.
Mr. El-Rufai commended Mr. Agwai for agreeing to serve, and hoped that he would deploy his experience in crisis management at national and international levels, to end the conflict in the area.
He pledged that the administration would use the committee’s recommendations and that of the Peace and Reconciliation “to lay the foundation for sustainable peace, reconciliation and progress in the state”.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Mr. Agwai pledged to deliver on the mandate given to them.
“I promise that we would do our best and meet the 30 days deadline to come out with the report on the findings”, Mr. Agwai said.
(NAN)
