IGP disagrees with CAN over number of deaths in Southern Kaduna

The Inspector-General of Police( IG), Mr Ibrahim Idris, has disagreed with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on the number of people killed in the Southern Kaduna crises.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan had alleged that the unrest in Southern Kaduna had claimed over 808 lives, in 53 villages in the area.

But Idris  refuted the  claim in Abuja, on Sunday, at the new year dinner organised by the Nigeria Police Force for its personnel.

He stressed the need for religious, community and political leaders to be patriotic in their endeavours for peace to reign in the country.

The IGP cautioned Nigerians to avoid unnecessary tension which could lead to destruction of lives and property.

He said that Nigerians had no other country than Nigeria, hence, the need to do those things that would bring peace and unity to the country.

Idris advised Nigerians to live in peace with one another in spite of religious and ethnic differences.

He commended officers and men of the force for their commitment to providing security to all Nigerians across the country.

Idris restated the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to providing adequate security without bias to any section of the country.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji  Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has  condemned   the unjust and  heinous  acts of destruction of lives and property currently ongoing  in Southern Kaduna.

The NSCIA, is particularly grieved that as at the last count,  that about  808 lives of innocent Nigerians have been lost while  about  57 Nigerians have suffered life-threatening injuries. The NSCIA denounced  these events in its entirety because they run contrary to fundamental Islamic law which ordained  human life to be sacred and forbids its unlawful destruction, except for a just course.

The NSCIA, therefore, called on the federal and Kaduna state governments to, as a matter of urgency, step into the situation and put a stop to this inhuman state of anomie.

The NSCIA would like the federal and Kaduna State governments to go a step further by proffering lasting solutions to these recurrent acts of hatefulness and savagery in Southern Kaduna. We also called on the Federal Government to  investigate the matter and prosecute whoever that is found guilty irrespective of the person’s tribe, creed and social status.

We urged all Nigerians to continue to promote justice, preach, teach and live in peace with one another. We enjoined  all Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used by forces of evil some of which may hide behind tribal, political  and religious garbs in order to perpetrate these heinous acts.