Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State is being accused of lying over the alleged killing in Kajuru local government of the state

By Emeka Ejere

The Adara Development Association, ADA, in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State has described as malicious and insensitive the recent claim by Nasir el-Rufai, governor of the state, that 66 people were killed in the area, saying it was not anything short of a strategy by the governor to instigate crisis in the state.

“There could never have been a clearer attempt by the governor to instigate crisis than this malicious, insensitive and incendiary strategy,” ADA said in a statement.

The statement added, “We want to place on record before the whole world that el- Rufai is working assiduously to instigate a crisis in Kaduna for his own political gain, and that should crisis break out, local and international observers should know who to hold responsible.

“We invite the world’s attention to the serious and indiscriminate arrest of our people and chiefs. Many of them have been arrested for just no reason and without due process.”

While calling on el-Rufai to stop making life difficult for the Adara people with his arbitrary, divisive and incendiary use of power, the group said, “In view of the unfortunate incidents that we are faced with in Adara land and the deliberate lies being manufactured against us as a people by the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el- Rufai, we deem it necessary to state the facts and correct the official and deliberate lies.

“It has also become necessary to highlight the highhandedness and mischievous manner that the governor of Kaduna State has been deploying against us as a people. Not satisfied with a deliberate attempt to balkanise our traditional institution and culture, the governor is currently trying to instigate a crisis in our area.

“On Friday 15th February 2019, on the eve of what would have been our national elections, we watched with shock the governor granting an interview that 66 people were allegedly killed in Kajuru, Kaduna State. The governor went ahead to list the number of villages that were attacked but deliberately excluded Ungwan Barde, where our people were killed.

“He also gave the gender statistics of those allegedly killed and the tribe of the victims but again mischievously left out the 11 Adara people who were killed.

“He insinuated that the incident happened on the eve of the election. But the truth is that the incident took place between Sunday, 10th February and Tuesday, 12 February 2019 in Ungwar Barde in Kufana District, where 11 innocent Adara people were earlier killed without any provocation.”

– Feb. 18, 2019 @ 05:50 GMT |