Zango Kataf crisis: Hausa/Fulani community backs El-Rufai on white paper

The Hausa/Fulani community of Zango Kataf in Kaduna State has said it is in full support the Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s move to produce a White Paper on the recurring circle of violence in the area.

This was even as it said there was never a white paper as has been agitated by Atyap Community in the area.

Speaking in a news conference in Kaduna on Monday, the spokesman for the Hausa/Fulani Community under the aegis of Zango Urban Development Association (ZUDA), Dr Salisu Mohammed disclosed that the community is in support of the white paper.

According to them, it was the right step taken to end the spate of crises in the area.

ZUDA argued further that the recurring violence between the Hausa /Kataf has its roots in the 1992 crisis.

The Hausa community maintained that for peace to reign in the area, five elements must come into play.

He listed the elements as the truth must be told, justice must be provided, justice provided must be tempered with mercy, there must be healing, forgiveness and then reconciliation leading to peace.

“This has not happened in Zango Kataf and that is why the Katafs take pride in fomenting crisis every year,” he declared.

ZUDA also denied that a white paper had been produced by successive governments, saying, “we challenge the ACDA to produce those white paper reports that they claim are being implemented on any/and or all the reports in question.

Some parts of the statement read as follows:

“We, the people of Zango Urban District support the effort of the present administration of Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i in setting up the white paper committee as the right step in finding a lasting solution to the recurring circle of violence in Zangon Kataf because every Hausa/Kataf crises has its roots to the 1992 crises.

“With the lingering crises day-in-day-out it can be deduced that the reconciliation has not been achieved between the Kataf and Hausa community contrary to the claim by ACDA.

“For any reconciliation to occur, there are five elements that must come into play; the truth must be told, justice must be provided, justice provided must be tempered with mercy, there must be healing, forgiveness and then reconciliation leading to peace.

“This has not happened in Zangon Kataf and that is why the Katafs take pride in fomenting crisis every year.

“The ACDA misinformed the public that there was no violent conflict in Zangon Kataf on Thursday 11th June 2020. The truth is that Shehu Ahmad at a roadblock mounted by the Kataf Youth, and another unidentified Fulani woman were set ablaze in the former’s car at Unguwan Wakili (a Kataf settlement).

“On a clear note, the ACDA stated that the recommendations of the reports are being implemented since 1995 and also came up to say that the reports were rejected by the government; the question is, which reports were implemented at the same time rejected?

“It is a common and normal tradition in government that reports of committees or commission of inquiries are followed by a white paper. The white paper serves as an approved government position on the recommendations on any report.

“We challenge the ACDA to produce those white paper reports that they claim are being implemented on any/and or all the reports in question.

“We also want to ask, the insinuations by the association (ACDA), whether government can implement the recommendations contained in a report set up by it without an approved government white paper.”

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