Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has challenged traditional rulers in southern part of the state to show any piece of land that has been forcibly acquired in their domain or being illegally occupied by anybody or group.
The governor challenged the monarchs in the area to support security agencies in restoring peace their communities.
He tasked them to offer inclusive leadership to all the residents in their domain.
El-Rufai was reacting to reports that some persons had taken over parts of Southern Kaduna in the wake of attacks in the area.
The governor, who spoke on Tuesday during a meeting of the state’s Council of Chiefs, said his administration’s principle of citizenship is based on residency.
He emphasized that the misinformation about the situation in southern Kaduna would not distract him from ending the four-decade legacy of violent conflict in the state.
El-Rufai regretted that the “false claims” about land-grabbing were made without any evidence in 2016/2017 and were being repeated in the current crisis.
The governor disclosed that he was authorising any monarch to tell the media about any inch of land in their domain that had been forcibly acquired or was being illegally occupied by anybody or group.
He recalled that his first official action as governor was to convene and preside over an emergency Security Council meeting on May 30, 2015, following reports of killings in Sanga Local Government Area, before he was sworn in on May 29, 2015.
He said: “The outcome of that meeting was the setting up of a committee, chaired by General Martin Luther Agwai (now retired Chief of Army Staff), to study and proffer solutions to the incessant killings in southern Kaduna, which had intensified since the violent aftermath of the 2011 elections.
“That emergency security meeting also decided to prepare a White Paper on the report of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee that had been established by the government of late Sir Patrick Yakowa.”
The governor listed many conflicts that have arisen in the course of his administration and his efforts to resolve them and restore peace across the state.
The governor promised a holistic review of the chieftaincy system, in order “to protect our traditional rulers from administrative and executive capriciousness”
