BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The Adara Development Association (ADA), in Kaduna state has declared that the subtle and overt acts of favouritism and differential treatments shown to Hausa Fulani against the natives by the Governor Nasir el-Rufai-led government in Kaduna are contributing in no small measure to the deterioration of ethno-religious harmony in the state.
The association therefore called for external interventions to ensure long lasting peace for all, adding that the fear of the people remains that the self-destruction of the legitimacy of government by a continuation of the observed lapses will ultimately fuel even greater insecurity.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna on Tuesday over how injustice and insecurity are being fueled by the Kaduna state government leading to the kidnapped and killing of Late Agom Adara, Dr Maiwada Galadima, National President of the association, Awemi Duo Maisamari noted that the el-Rufai-led government despises any engagement with some legitimate socio-cultural groups even on matters of public concern.
Maisamari also called on all lovers of genuine peace to engage the el-Rufai-led government with a view to make it see reason.
He further said; “Another fundamental source of long term bitterness threatening security is the abrogation of Adara Chiefdom and the subordination of its people to the traditional rulership of much smaller Chiefdoms.
“It beats our imagination why Adara as the second largest tribe in the State do not deserve a Chiefdom. But ironically, mini Hausa/Fulani communities are given Chiefdoms with names and nomenclatures of their choice. This is a major, unnecessary and unparalleled affront to the soul of the Adara nation.”
Maisamari explained that in 2016 and 2017, armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping were at their peak in the area, adding that many of Adara people were killed, women raped, ransom collected and people displaced in many remote villages.
In his words; “However, security presence was concentrated on highways to ensure free movement for those that matter. But our people in remote communities were left at the mercy of criminals to resort to self defence. They simply did not matter enough.
“Due to ethno-religious sentiments, there were only occasional arrests and most cases were not properly investigated. This is because the likely suspects, clues and leads to these criminal acts were almost entirely non-indigenes.
“Consequently, most of the criminals escaped justice and became more daring. Obviously, the criminals were treated lightly because the victims do not matter.
“Up till now, some of the communities displaced during that period are yet to return to their villages. Yet, their plight did not attract any serious attention talk less of emergency or humanitarian assistance. The welfare of our innocent citizens simply did not matter enough. Due essentially to the mishandling of the socio-economic frictions, the crises has acquired ethno-religious dimensions.
“Now, government and security officials have taken more aggressive postures. In most incidents, there are now arrests or administrative actions targeted primarily at our people. The coded massage here is that it matters to government only when it is our people that are rightly or wrongly the suspects. But when it is the other way round, it hardly matters.
“In July, 2017 a suspected Fulani criminal was beaten by a mob of farmers and he eventually died. Some persons from our community were accused, one was arrested, detained and eventually tried in court.
“Some known Fulani people threatened a reprisal attack after the death of the suspected criminal, but when about 8 of our people were killed in the reprisal attack that later happened, no Fulani suspect was arrested and tried.
“We suspect that this sort of bias has become the standard practice of the Kaduna state government,” the Adara Development Association lamented.
