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By Nasir Kura
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the recent violence in Kaduna state between the Adara and Fulani people which led to the death of 20 members of the Adara community.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mr Garba Shehu on Tuesday, the president also condemned the resurgence of cultist killings in Rivers state and ordered for increased community and law enforcement action against its escalation.
He called for peace and decried the ongoing culture of ‘an eye for an eye’ that has fuelled a number of attacks and reprisal attacks, with the two communities at different times, suffering casualties in Kajuru and Kachia local governments in Kaduna state.
The president also appealed to indigenes of Kaduna and other Nigerians to refrain from comments in the traditional and social media, especially by people who have little knowledge of the history of the longstanding conflict.
Such comments, he said, can further fuel conflict in the area and between the two warring groups.
He also called on traditional and religious leaders to be cautious with their comments on the conflict, saying whatever words they share publicly should not be inflammatory but be inspired by an interest in peace.
“The entire nation grieves with you. The Nigerian army and police are already in the area to ensure that peace and security are restored,” he said.
In response to reports of the resurgence of cultism leading to loss of lives in Rivers state, the president called on law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to end the menace before it further escalates.
He also called for quick and effective intervention by community and civic leaders in support of law enforcement efforts in all areas bedeviled by cultist attacks and inter-communal violence.
