We must take urgent steps to stop criminal actions ― El-rufai 

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai has said the public must take urgent steps to relieve human misery and stop criminals from tearing the country apart.

In a statement he issued and personally signed on Wednesday, he also noted that “we should not allow the criminal actions of insurgents and bandits to tear our country apart. 

“We should not be seduced into the dangerous passion of blaming innocents, declaring them guilty of the crimes of others, evicting them, killing and destroying their property. 

“In difficult times, we must uphold the right of everyone to live, with security and safety. The frenzy of ethnic labelling makes solutions difficult and can only guarantee disorder, violence and pain.

According to him, his message was born out of the concern of the people of his state about a video clips being circulated on social media platforms saying citizens of a particular ethnic group are being massacred and their properties destroyed in parts of Nigeria. 

While calling on the people of the state to respect law and order as well as the rights of all citizens to live in peace, he appealed to my colleagues governing other states in our country to make similar statements, and disavow these attacks and massacres.

“We must avoid anarchy and vigorously promote the rule of law and the right of all citizens to life, liberty and livelihoods wherever they choose to reside.”

He also noted, “Elected and appointed public leaders across the country must act on their constitutional obligations to protect all citizens, uphold order, and contribute to a climate for peaceful resolution of all issues.

“For instance, he remarked in Kaduna State, we are learning from decades of unfortunate and needless experiences. We have faced the tragic manifestations of the indigene-settler divide. 

“This has been compounded by criminal activities that often have fatal consequences. But the victims of criminal actions like banditry and kidnapping in our state cut across all ethnic and religious groups. 

“We have resisted the attempt to tar all members of any ethnic group for the criminal actions of some of their members. At all times, our government has upheld the right of every citizen to live and pursue legitimate livelihoods wherever they choose.

“This is why we ordered the arrest of persons who issued an unlawful eviction notice to our citizens of a certain ethnicity in 2017. The impunity and calculated disregard for a common humanity that prompted such irresponsible rhetoric is sadly at play again. 

“The genuine fears felt by people across the country for their safety and security imposes a responsibility on all leaders to ensure that these anxieties are assuaged and urgent steps taken to relieve human misery and stop the criminal actions that menace our citizens and their property. This should be the top priority. 

“It is time for governments and leaders at all levels to step in, exercise firm action, engage people and ensure that the responsibility these dire times demand is not derailed by those who only see an opportunity for their own myopic agendas. “We cannot allow, by inaction or otherwise, the reign of anarchy where fear creates a tragic momentum of violence, blurring the lines between victims and perpetrators and complicating a difficult moment.

“We urge our representatives in the National Assembly to expedite action on the Constitutional amendments that would usher in State and community policing as this is the ultimate panacea for effective law enforcement nationwide. 

“We should not allow the criminal actions of insurgents and bandits to tear our country apart. “We should not be seduced into the dangerous passion of blaming innocents, declaring them guilty of the crimes of others, evicting them, killing and destroying their property. 

“In difficult times, we must uphold the right of everyone to live, with security and safety. The frenzy of ethnic labelling makes solutions difficult and can only guarantee disorder, violence and pain.”

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