Southern Kaduna: Police nab 17, CAN, JNI seek justice

By Chizoba Ogbeche, Abuja and  AbdulRaheem Aodu, Kaduna

The Nigeria Police has arrested 17 suspects in connection with the killings and crisis in Southern Kaduna.
Arrested along with the alleged hoodlums, was one Nelson Paul, 38, who was said to have supplied arms to the suspects.
Parading the suspects yesterday in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Jimoh Moshood, said, the suspects, made up of Fulani as well as indigenes, were accused of  various crimes, including inciting public disturbance, disturbance of public peace, causing mischief by fire, culpable homicide, theft and unlawful possession of prohibited fire arms.

According to him, the arrests were part of successes recorded by a Joint Tactical Operation Squad (Operation Harmony) deployed to contain the crisis.
He named the suspects as: “Bulus Jatau, 32; Magaji Shaibu, 30; Danlami Yakubu, 28; Idris Bello, 39; Danjuma Barde Chikun, 39; Goma Adamu, 28; Samuel Joshua, 29; and Abdulkareen Abdul, 20.
Others are: “Haruna Iliyasu, 20; Hassan Idris, 25; Adamu Haruna, 28; Adamu Umar, 27; Suleiman Saleh, 30; Abubakar Mohammadu, 20 and Muhammadu Jori, 33.
The spokesperson further disclosed that, “a total number of 29 assorted firearms and ammunition were recovered from their possession,” just as all the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation.

Meanwhile, Kaduna state chapter of  the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atul Nasirul Islam (JNI),  have urrged Governor Nasir el-rufai not to spare those behind the Southern Kaduna crisis.
CAN and JNI made the call during separate advocacy visits by Governor el-Rufai’s spokesman, Mr Samuel Aruwan and former Governor, Ramalan Yero’s spokesman, Alhaji Ahmad Maiyaki, respectively in Kaduna.
Kaduna state Secretary of CAN,  Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, in his response called on the state and Federal Government to urgently prosecute those involved in the crisis.
Ibrahim, appealed to people not to engage in reprisals, adding that what happened in the North East should not be allowed to be replicated in Kaduna.

“Without peace there will be no meaningful development in any society. Many developed nations have passed through this crisis before they became what they are now. I believe one day it will be a history, I believe this government will prosecute whoever is involved and the perpetrators should face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
Similarly, the JNI scribe,  Malam Ibrahim Kufena, called on clerics to desist from giving out victims figures to public to avoid reprisals.
“It is our duty to preach, and according to our religion, any true Muslim will not engage in crisis or killing a fellow human being, we read some religious leaders giving out figures of victims, but we didn’t give figure to the press because it may create further crisis and tension,” he said