We are ready and willing to dialogue with Fulani herdsmen - Southern Kaduna people

- The southern Kaduna people say they are ready to dialogue with Fulani herdsmen if that will bring lasting peace to the region

- According to them, the task now is for the Governor to be ready and willing to bring such people to the negotiation table

- The people however claimed that some eminent people in Kaduna state are bias given their volatile statements concerning the attacks

The people said the task now is for Governor Nasir El-Rufai to bring the herdsmen to the negotiation table

Southern Kaduna people said they are ready and willing to dialogue with people attacking their communities according to Daily Post.

This is according to the President of Southern Kaduna Peoples' Union (SOKAPU), Solomon Musa.

Musa who spoke during a meeting with the Global Peace Foundation of Nigeria (GPFN) at SOKAPU office in Kaduna said the union is ready and willing to dialogue with people attacking them.

He said: "Moments ago, the people of Southern Kaduna were inherently peaceful. We have always been ready and willing to discuss any challenge we have.”

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai has kindly said that the persons carrying out attacks and killing in Southern Kaduna are from 14 African Countries. The task now is for the Governor to be ready and willing to bring such these people. If he brings them out, we will be able to sit with them, talk and ask them why they are attacking us.

"You can have dialogue always when you have the right persons and when you know who to have dialogue with. The main task is to be able to identify who to dialogue with. If someone is attacking you and you do not know who the attacker is, then it becomes very difficult.

“Since the Governor has told us where they come from, we expect him to use the machineries of State to bring them from across the 14African countries and we will be ready to sit down and dialogue with them with a view to finding out why they are attacking us.

“If at all they say, it is reprisal, then we will be able to find out where? Because the narrative that has been said was that 800 lives were killed in Southern Kaduna during the 2011 post election crisis but all reports of that period pointed out that 800 lives were lost in 12 northern states particularly in Kaduna and Zaria," he explained.

Musa however claimed that some eminent people in Kaduna state are bias given their volatile statements concerning the attacks.

"The State has made so many comments and if the state government is ready and willing, we are also ready and willing to dialogue and talk but with regards to farmers/herders skirmishes which have always been there in Kaduna and several other communities, where there are such challenges, we will always be ready to sit down and broker peace," he stressed.

"SOKAPU is for the protection of all people in Southern Kaduna regardless of where they come from. We will fight and defend everybody, we are a community development association and we see everyone as one."

In his remark, the country director of Global Peace Foundation, Nigeria (GPFN) John Oko says that the foundation is working to bring peace to the region.

He said: "We are trying to initiate a process of conversation that can lead to reconciliation," he said.

Going further, he added: "We do not represent anyone's interest; we do not represent government but our organization. In our conversation, we want to be fair to all parties.

“We began with consultation with Fulani community leaders after which we scheduled a follow-up meeting with the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Southern Kaduna community leaders. On Wednesday, we met with leaders of four communities including Goska, Ambam, Dangoma and Bakin-Kogi. We shall continue to stress our vision that 'We are One family under God'," he said.

In a related development, Kaduna state Governor, El-Rufai, in the video below promised to prosecute masterminds of the incessant attacks on southern Kaduna communities.

source: http://www.naij.com