The viral video of former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai on how he suppressed Christians has prompted the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council to revisit their call for the creation of Gurara State.
The elders appealed to president Bola Tinubu to revisit the 2014 conference report and create another state out of Kaduna.
In a statement issued by the chairman, Southern Kaduna Leaders Council, Ishaya Akau said el-Rufai’s viral video was an eye opener and call on the federal government to create Gurara State.
“We hereby wish to let the nation and international community know of the heinous plans and to draw the attention of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the 2014 National Constitutional Conference where it was agreed to create Gurara State from the present Kaduna State and to invite the president to activate the demand which has gone through the constitutional process of obtaining the consent of two thirds of the 36 Houses of Assembly in the Federation.
“The nation and international community should know that the Southern Kaduna region was recorded to have above three million people by 2006, and present projections show that there are now above six million people in the area. The total land size of Southern Kaduna is above 26,000 square kilometres. Southern Kaduna is larger in population than 21 states in population, and larger in land size than 26 states in Nigeria.
There are 58 ethnic groups in Southern Kaduna, with similar culture, traditions and beliefs.
“The Southern Kaduna people are requesting for protection from the government of Kaduna State, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the African Union and the United Nations. We call on the international community, to constitute a visitation panel to ascertain the genocide orchestrated and supervised under the Islamist regime run by Nasir el Rufai as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
“We now know that propaganda by certain disgruntled elements in our midst has had the tacit support of the government. The Southern Kaduna Leadership Council, and indeed the people of Southern Kaduna will not use the statements of Nasir El Rufai to determine how we live and relate with Muslims, settlers or visitors to Southern Kaduna. We are a peaceful people and will follow peaceful and lawful means in pursuit of our goal of surviving as a people under the regime of hostility and hate instituted and handed down as a legacy by Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna State. However we will not fail to tell our people to defend their lives, lands and heritage.
“The Southern Kaduna Leadership Council, desirous of developing harmonious and peaceful relations with all the citizens and people of Kaduna State, call on the present government not to follow the path of their predecessor,” the elders said.
