By Chimezie Godfrey
The Kaduna state Government has reiterated its commitment to the security of lives and property as a foundation for sustainable development in the state.
The Comissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, said this at the Security Stakeholders Engagement, Zangon kataf Local Government on Tuesday.
Aruwan decried the fact that the state in recent times have experienced wave after wave of violence, killings and reprisals, more wanton and more brutal with each occurrence.
He disclosed that the state have witnessed repeated attacks on cattle, and the persistent destruction of farmlands, seemingly with no end in sight, adding that this wicked conflict has brought them to the brink of food insecurity.
He pointed out that education has been halted, the rural economy is on the verge of total collapse, health services cannot be accessed and that development has been reversed, while thousands of citizens are displaced.
According to him, what emerges clearly from the situation is that all sides are complicit in the killings and violence, adding that security agencies have detailed and accurate reports of attacks carried out by deviants from every side.
Noting that the failure or unwillingness to embrace recourse to law, the failure to accept responsibility and the failure to align with peace, is what has brought them to this point, and that it is about to be the total undoing of the area.
He therefore reiterated the government’s commitment to security as a foundation for sustainable development in the state.
He said,”As a government, our vision is one of peace, security and prosperity in this Chiefdom, this local government and the state at large.
“We have demonstrated the will to see that vision realized. We do not intend to relent.
“We are committed to security as a foundation for your sustainable development. We are grateful to the leaders who have helped us so far, and we implore you all to awaken to your responsibility and cooperate with the government to root out this scourge and bring about much-needed peace and stability.
“Finally, one critical factor that has brought us here from security reports is the presence of the deviants from all sides as already mentioned, and those instigating violence from the comfort of their homes outside the conflict areas.
“They are the tiny minority that have brought us to our knees. They would keep the blood flowing to no end. Until we tame these groups, it is a long way yet to peace and harmony.
“On our part as a government, once these evil elements are identified, we will ensure they are dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Commissioner who disclosed that they have had numerous engagements over the last 18 months, during which they have reiterated the fact that peace can never be externally enforced on a community, stressed that no number of boots on the ground can replace the willingness of leaders to guide their people along the path of peace and recourse to law.
“We have emphasized the vital responsibility of communities in the peace efforts initiated and painstakingly nurtured by the government.
“More security forces (even if we had them) can not solve the problem. The fact is, there are no troops to spare, and so leaders must step up to reverse this ugly cycle or watch entire communities perish.
“All that can be done by the Government has been done. This is the end of the tether. There is no justification for killing and maiming innocent people on their farms or homes. People in their huts or while grazing are attacked and killed for no other reasons but sheer cruelty and evil.
“No individual or group can seek to displace another individual or group,” he warned.
He therefore stressed that the Government will not shy away from confronting threats to peace, law and order.
He said,”We will also not shy away from the constitutional responsibility of taking hard decisions that will promote the common good and public interest.
“However, we will also not fail to point out the effects of abdication of responsibility at critical levels in the systems we have set up.”
