The Kaduna State Government has constituted a joint committee to look into the immediate and remote causes of the recent violent conflicts among communities in Jema’a, Kaura, and Zangon Kataf local government areas.
The committee, which was inaugurated by the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, is chaired by the Administrator of Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Mrs Phoebe Sukai Yayi, with the chairmen of Jema’a, Kaura, and Zangon Kataf as members.
Other members of the committee are representatives of Jama’a tul Nasir Islam (JNI), the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), and the affected communities.
The committee has one week to submit its report to the Kaduna State government.
The setting up of the committee which was arrived at on Thursday followed a peace dialogue with stakeholders from Jema’a, Kaura, and Zangon Kataf local government areas towards finding a lasting solution to the incessant violent conflicts in the areas.
The dialogue, which was held at Kafanchan, was attended by elected government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders from affected communities, leaders of the two religious bodies, CAN and JNI as well as heads of security agencies, comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
While constituting the committee, the deputy governor mandated members to look into the immediate and remote causes of the conflicts, recommend measures to be taken by both government and various ethnic groups, leading to peaceful and harmonious coexistence among them.
She also directed the three local government chairmen to resume the weekly meeting of the local government security committees as instituted by the state government, which will serve as a forum to discuss security issues and proactively tackle those problems before they escalate.
While she also condoled the families of the victims of the attack, including the officers who paid the supreme price in the course of duty, the deputy governor disclosed that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has been directed to provide relief materials to affected communities.
The deputy governor added that government will further provide relief allowance to those affected after documentation by the relevant government agencies.
