“I am not an ethnic jingoist or a religious bigot” – Gov. El-Rufai

​Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, had said part of reasons the killings in Southern Kaduna has been recurring is because the killers have never been brought to justice in the last 35 years.
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, says 204 people have been killed in Southern Kaduna since the latest wave of violence between Fulani herdsmen and indigenous people of the area began last year.
Some estimates put the figure at much higher. The Catholic Church and other groups say the death toll is close to 1000 people.
El-Rufai, who has been criticised for his poor handling of the crisis, said on Tuesday he was neither a religious nor ethnic chauvinist and pledged to prosecute the perpetrators of the mayhem.
El-rufai made this known while addressing a six-member Senate Adhoc Committee delegation that visited him in Kaduna.
He said, “I am the governor of Kaduna state if you break the law you will be punished, the entire Kaduna city has been divided and there is need to regain the confidence.
“I am not an ethnic jingoist or a religious bigot so those who alleged that I am sponsoring Southern Kaduna crisis are just mischievous, no governor wants crisis in his state.”
He denied that his government was sponsoring the crisis, adding that his government has so far committed spent N4 billion naira on funding security agencies in the state.
The Senate committee, led by Sen. Kabiru Gaya, was in the state to assess the security situation.
Gaya, chairman Senate Adhoc Committee on Southern Kaduna Crisis and Other Parts of the Country, accused politicians of milking the Kaduna crisis for political advantage.
He said the committee was set up to investigate the causes of the frequent attacks and recommend effective solutions.
“Part of the mission of the Adhoc committee are to interact , discuss with government , stakeholders , community leaders, security agencies and other relevant bodies that will contribute to bringing lasting peace,” he said.