The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has explained that the bloodshed in Southern Kaduna has not abated because the culprits behind the violence were not punished.
He noted that many of the culprits had been identified in the past by tribunals, but nothing was done to them.
Sanusi said this at the award presentation ceremony of ‘Most Security Conscious Governor’ to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi in Abuja on Tuesday by the Nigeria Police Force.
The monarch stated that the nation was facing many threats and accused most leaders of selfishness, stressing that they cared only about themselves and their families.
He attributed the security challenges in the country to poverty and lack of education among others.
The Emir said it was ironic that the Boko Haram sect which claimed to be fighting for Islam was killing Muslims while Niger Delta militants agitating for resource control were bombing oil pipelines and destroying their natural environment.
He said, “You are a muslim, you go to mosques, people are praying and you are killing them and saying Allah. In the Niger Delta, we have people who are fighting for resource control, they want money from oil and how do they get the money, they blow up the pipelines.
“There is such a lack of understanding, focus and sense to the violence. How do you blow up your pipelines, resources because you want resource control. How would you blow up mosques because you want to establish an Islamic system?”
He added, “In Southern Kaduna, we have people who lived together for decades and centuries killing each other because they have constructed fake identities – settler and indigene – and because of genuinely lack of enforcement of the law.
“Every time there is crisis in Southern Kaduna, people die, there is a tribunal, there is a report, culprits are identified and nothing happens. So, these small instances utterly lead to conflagration.”
Sanusi admonished state governors and other political leaders in the country to make the citizens their focus and responsibility.
He stated that the leaders were focused on constructing skyscrapers and roads and building beautiful state capitals instead of tackling poverty among the populace, noting that billions of naira expended on frivolous projects could go into education and agriculture.
“For every N1 billion you put into that runway is the same that could go into agriculture, education, into primary healthcare and save lives. So, with uneducated people in the north, girls out of school, maternal mortality, infant mobility, should we be looking for runways and mega cities and beautiful sky scrapers? Is that what we need?” he queried.
(Punch)
