Salim Yunusa
"Have you ever been called in the middle of the night by a brother and a friend who says in a hushed and distressed voice "Ga sunan sun zaga ye mu, Ayi mana addu'a. (They've now surrounded us, pray for us)?" I have.
STROKING THE FLAMING EMBERS IN SOUTHERN KADUNA.
I'm still dismayed and dumbfounded over what is currently unfolding and unfurling in Kaduna - Southern Kaduna, to be precise.
Recently, social media is agog with misleading headlines of a "genocide" in that ethnically-delineated region. SOKAPU and other unions of the region have dragged not only Kaduna, but the Federal Government to the UN for apparently "encouraging" this so-called "ethnic cleansing".
True, some Fulani Herdsmen (and many other unscrulptous elements like robbers, kidnappers etc) have been on rampage not only in that region, but in the whole country. I do not support and will not support any form of violence, clash or unwonted attacks under the guise of ethnicity, religion or tribalism, therefore I, along with million others, urge the government to fish out the culprits and let justice take its course.
I am a Muslim, and I'm Hausa, from Kajuru Local Government, which falls under Southern Kaduna. I have lots of relatives there that at one point or another in time, have fallen victims of the incessant attacks in that area. We are minorities in that area. It therefore pains me whenever something from Southern Kaduna crops up, it is automatically ascribed to the Christian majority in the region.
Th ethno-religious divide between Southern Kaduna and the rest of the state is so deep that one can see the few remaining fragile seams strained and loosening at the ends. If you ask me, I think it runs deeper than the North - South fault lines in this country. SOKAPU or any other association/union have never defended minorities in Southern Kaduna. Maybe SOKAPU - which stands for Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, should be renamed to Southern Kaduna Christians Peoples Union.
This brings me back to the dangers of a one-sided story; all the social media frenzy is based on a one - sided story. Others have suffered heavy losses in Southern Kaduna but SOKAPU only chooses to brandish the truth that will favor them. Just before Christmas, I travelled to Nasarawa State; and I was scared for my life, for on my way, we received a call that in Kafanchan, the natives there are stopping wayfarers and singling out Hausas and Fulanis to kill.We had to make a detour to avoid being lynched. Others were'nt so lucky, we learned. On the way, we saw many burnt mosques by the side of the road, byproducts of ugly riots in the past. The minorities in SK are slowly being wiped out, and we are doing nothing about it because our voices are drowned in the hypocritical screeches of SOKAPU.
It is well known that the present Governor has done amicably everywhere and in nearly all aspects. Why are the SK majority trying to stifle his progress and drag us back to the dark times? Kaduna has had one-time-too-many crises. We need to sheath our swords and down those weapons of destruction - hate, mostly - before it leads to our utter destruction.
The way and manner people took to social media over this SK conendrum surprised me. I never knew people still cared; for bombs after bombs were thrown in Maiduguri, Kano and other Muslim populated countries and those same people didn't even flinch. Why is their anger, their outcry and outrage selective? Only recently, a pastor made ballistic comments that can potentially throw the country in a war and should've warranted his arrest, but the media keep mum over it. Why? Because its not coming from "them?"
Ethno-religious crisis never ends well; the people of Kaduna can attest to that. Who now, is trying to spark another one? Fulani herdsmen have undoubtedly been involved in a spate of killings these days, and I fully support the harshest punishment on those found guilty. Reprisal attacks on minorities is never the way out. Collectively, we should defend ourselves from outside attacks, not harm our neighbors because of them.
I'm urging SOKAPU and all other unions (which I'm automatically a member of, for being from SK) to tread with caution and watch their utterances. We should join hands collectively in ensuring that long lasting peace and development prevails. We should forgive and forget the past - both sides are held accountable - and move on. We should understand our differences and work towards acheiving our similar goals for the prosperity of all. We should understand that we are human beings first before anything, and humanity supercedes everything. We should understand that had it been God willed for all Hausas or Katafs or Muslims or Christians to live on one side of the country, He would've made it so. But in His wisdom and mercy, He dispersed us and made us live together; marry from each other, use the same hospitals, ply the same roads, work together, school together etc. That alone, should teach us tolerance and understanding of each other. I have said my own o! #PEACE!
By Salim Yunusa

Hell rufai said that Fulani will revenge the killings against them.But I don't know if Fulani were killed because they are the perpetrator of genocide.