•18 persons arrested as death toll rises to 12
•Police recover petrol bombs, other dangerous items
•Senate cautions religious, political leaders against hate speech

By Henry Umoru & Ben Agande

KADUNA—No fewer than 1,000 shops and several vehicles were torched in the violent clash that occurred between Christian and Muslim youths in Kaduna on Monday over girls, as the death toll rose to 12 yesterday.

When Vanguard visited the scene yesterday, the large scale destruction that trailed the clash which engulfed Kasuwan Magani town in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state was benumbing.

Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, who disclosed the new death toll yesterday, said 18 people had also been arrested.

Addressing journalists after a fact-finding and assessment visit to the area, the Police Commissioner vowed that no stone would be left unturned in unravelling the immediate and remote causes of the crisis.

The Police Commissioner, in company of the General Officer Commanding I Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major-General Mohammed Mohammed and state commandant of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Modu Goni, expressed shock at the scale of destruction.

He said: “It is unfortunate. As we can see, the level of destruction is very high, some people were killed and properties were destroyed. This is not what we wish for our state, Kaduna.
“Let me say that we will not leave any stone unturned in investigating the remote and immediate causes of this problem. We will talk to the stakeholders here and try to find out what the problem is and through civil problem solving approach and conflict resolution, we will deal with that.”

Police recover petrol bombs, other items

“We will also look at the criminal aspect of it. So far, we have arrested eighteen people we suspect were involved in the crisis. We are working round the clock to ensure that we get to the root of the matter.

“We have recovered a number of dangerous items, including petrol bombs. We believe this is a planned thing and we will get to the root of the matter. We will do a thorough investigation to ensure that it does not happen again.”

He said the police was aware of “skirmishes” in the area two weeks ago and had made some arrests “but we did not know that there was a grand design to carry out massive destruction as it happened.”

He defended police response to the crisis, saying he mobilized his men and deployed to the area as soon as the Police received reports of the crisis.

“The most important thing to us is, when was it reported to us? Travelling from Kaduna to this place takes about forty minutes. We needed to prepare and mobilize our men. Police officers are not like items sitting on the shelves of supermarkets.

“We needed to bring people from other places. We took necessary steps to check the crisis. We brought in military reinforcement, Civil Defence and Police reinforcement,” he added.

The Police commissioner said 11 victims of the crisis were “buried around12 midnight”, while one person who sustained injuries later died in the hospital yesterday.

Crisis started on Monday, when a Christian girl who was allegedly engaged to a Muslim man was about to convert to Islam, a development that angered youths of the predominantly Christian settlement.

Senate warns against hate speech

Meanwhile, the Senate has cautioned religious, political, community leaders against hate speech to avoid hate actions.

It also said any conflict with religious colouration would be the fastest way to liquidate Nigeria as a country.

Speaking yesterday, in Abuja during plenary when Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) raised a point of order on the killings, destruction of property in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said if all Nigerians, irrespective of class, religion and status, treat themselves as brothers and sisters, those following them would follow.

Ekweremadu, who urged the leaders to try as hard as they can to avoid escalation of religious crisis in Nigeria, said:

“This is one incident too many. This is becoming very worrisome. What is even more worrisome is the religious colouration to the killings, based on what Senator Shehu Sani has said. This is something we need to avoid.

“That is, any conflict that will have religious colouration, that will be the fastest way to liquidate this country. As leaders, we must understand that leadership comes with responsibilities. It is our job to keep preaching to those who are leading through our actions and words that we belong to one God.
“The fact that somebody is a Christian or Muslim does not mean that he should hate another person. I have not seen any religion that preaches hate killings. It is the way we behave that promotes that.

“We are talking about hate speech. The worst of it is hate action. If we treat ourselves as brothers and sisters, those following us will follow us. We must try as hard as we can, not to have any religious escalation in Nigeria.”

Season of mayhem in Kaduna — Sani

Earlier in the presentation of his point of order, Senator Shehu Sani, who came under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 as Amended, said: “I stand to bring the attention of the Senate and the nation to an unfortunate violence we had yesterday in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The violence took the lives of over six to seven people. Houses were burnt and it was a season of mayhem.

“The mayhem was attributed to youths who decided to take laws into their hands. But it had the colouration of religious violence. Everyday, we wake up in this country and we are faced with one form of violence or another. We are now accepting the reality that violence is the way of life.

“It is unfortunate that we wake up everyday and we see killings, kidnappings and other things that shake the stability and unity of this country in every respect. I use this opportunity to appeal to all parties involved in all forms of violence to know that we cannot achieve any progress without peace.

“The unity of Nigeria is not about the flag or the anthem, but the establishment of a system that ensures justice, harmony and love among one another. I want the Senate to identify with us in our time of crisis.

“We must live together as Christians and as Muslims in this country. We need to live as people, despite the fact that we are from different parts of the country.”


Photos of Mayhem in Kaduna

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/1000-houses-burnt-kaduna-mayhem-worsens/

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/1000-houses-burnt-kaduna-mayhem-worsens/
Some burnt cars during the crisis that took place at Kasuwan Magani town in Kajuru Local Government area of Kaduna state Tuesday. Photos Olu Ajayi.

There's a pogrom going on in Kaduna state, orchestrated by the duo of Bubu and El Rufai (his midget assistant in Kaduna).

gratiaeo:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/1000-houses-burnt-kaduna-mayhem-worsens/
Some burnt cars during the crisis that took place at Kasuwan Magani town in Kajuru Local Government area of Kaduna state Tuesday. Photos Olu Ajayi.

why are they complaining ?

This is

That's the change they were screaming sai barbarian for n they most enjoy it

If Nigeria wants to break up let it break up.

It pains me that unscrupulous elements keep denting giant strides made by our religion of peace.(Islam)


Reminds me of an ex who always preached "my northern friends are the best" till Nysc change am for am

The North and violence are like 5 and 6

I thought this issue was poste here few days ago,and ironically the cause of the clash was not revealed.

That is what you get when you cover a wound with sand instead of treating it.

Now it has escalated,the reasons have been revealed.

I hope those that were guilty were arrested,because the Kaduna midget is a religious and ethnic supremacist.

Igbos should please stay away from the area.

THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN MUST SET FORTH AT DAWN

Buhari why! Buhari why! won't you call your boys to order? I can't wait to see Buhari kicked out of aso rock in 2019.

It's God that will punish that Midget governor and cowhari

cowharis boys at work again,always unleashing mayhem on innocent Christians.

So they burnt 1000 houses just because one girl wanted to move from one middle eastern religion to another ...Nigeria has never been this divided and it's time to let Buhari go back to duara

planetzoom:
cowharis boys at work again,always unleashing mayhem on innocent Christians.

No let laugh kill me here ooooo

The thunder that fire this idiotic pigs of Biafra sin-atoris still doing press-up,
This idiotic shehu is cause of all the crisis in southern Kaduna,
Always using religion to achieve his aims.
Using religion to fuel every crisis in Nigeria.

Only God Knows the actual Number of Christians that has died in this evil and satanic Regime , The blood of saints wasted over absolute nothingness

Hausa Fulani muslims always like to start crisis in Southern Kaduna areas in order to destroy the development in those areas.

Southern Kaduna people should stop and restrict the settlement of Hausas in their areas.

Northener people are cow

Look at all these wans ooo...

Na the cars and shops be the matter, just wrecking wanton havoc and unnecessary lost of properties.

When youths of other countries are breaking barriers, thinking outside the box and trail blazing. As if our problems are not enough, our youths are busy fighting themselves over girls, being used as political touts, I wonder what the future holds.

SOUTHERN KADUNA MAKE UNA NO DULL OOOOOOOO. especially my guys in TELEVISION ROAD. Don't loose your guard.Burn their houses to the ground!





Zoo!

Kajuru is predominantly Christians. Why all this fighting? This is sad.

Any country/state where Muslims are majority in the world while Christians are minority, there is never peace.

A whole 1000 houses! How many come remain? Something must be done ASAP

Xtians and muslim kill dem selves in d north. The amala media reports only muslim killings

Just so much mindless killings & destruction. With little or no provocation, gbam; people are dead
Some people have really lost touch with humanity.

The Zoo is falling gradually.