A northern politician and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Tanko Yakasai, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, to tackle violent killings in Southern Kaduna from the root and stop using cosmetic approaches.

The elder statesman said there was a need for a holistic approach in putting an end to the killings in the area.

Yakasai spoke in an interview with SaharaReporters on Monday. He condemned the killings by gunmen in Gora Gan village of Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.


Yakasai said the deployment of security in the area was like scratching the surface, adding that it would not provide any meaningful solutions to the problem confronting the people.

He said there was a need to address the issue of land conflict, one of the major causes of the crisis in the area.

While recalling the efforts made by the past government in solving the problem, Yakasai said the former governor, Ahmed Makarfi, introduced local government reform where chieftaincy institutions were created but failed to address the issues.

He admitted that land conflict was a complicated situation that the government must give priority and handle with caution.

He said, “There is a need to address the land conflict. It is a more complex situation because the indigenous people claimed the lands belonged to them. But the Hausa people and their descendants just went there and cleared the bush. They claimed all the areas they cleared.

“This is one of the major causes of the conflict. I know it is not an easy thing to do because you cannot remove the Hausa people, who cleared the bush and created their settlements. This is not because I am a Hausa man, but I am speaking as a human being.”

He also suggested the need for the government to develop and replicate the solutions and strategies used in solving the communal crisis in Ife/Modakeke in Osun State.

He said, “The Kaduna State government can go and learn some ideas in Ife/Modakeke on how they can solve the problem of Southern Kaduna.

“It is a question of how you can develop a strategy. Once people see it as a viable option as they did in Ife/Modakeke, they will accept it because nobody wants trouble.”

He berated the government for not living up to its responsibilities in protecting the lives and property in the state

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SaharaReporters, New York

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