• Governor Nasir El-Rufai hopeful
The Special Forces constituted by the Defence Headquarters to check the wave of killings and restore peace to Southern Kaduna arrived Kafanchan on Friday preparatory to their deployment to the various flashpoints.
The soldiers were received at Sector 7, the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven, by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, on behalf of Governor Nasir el-Rufai.
el-Rufai was confident that the soldiers’ deployment would go a long way in bringing about an immediate end to the high level of insecurity in that part of the state for some time now.
He said that the experience of the soldiers in Faskari and Batsari bith in Katsina State and other flashpoints in the country would stand them in good stead to handle the situation in Southern Kaduna.
“The Governor is pleased with your deployment and optimistic that you will do well in consolidating the gains already achieved by troops, police and other security agencies in this general area,” Aruwan said.
“Beyond the boots on the ground, the Kaduna State Government is conducting series of engagements with traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, civil society and other agencies, and we are making progress.
Continuing, he said:“Our consistent appeal, is recourse to the law. No one should take the law on his or her own hands. Failure to recourse to the law only worsens the situation at hand, and as such, citizens must resort to available lawful means for arbitration and amicable resolution of grievances.”
He asked non-state actors, especially residents of the affected communities to give their maximum support to the troops during the period of the operation through intelligence sharing mechanism.
He expressed gratitude to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, Chiefs of Army and Air Staff (Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai and Air Marshall Abubakar Baba) as well as the Commander Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. Chukwuemeka Okonkwo for their immense commitment in containing the situation.
The Commissioner had a closed-door session with community leaders before leaving Kafanchan town.
Dozens of lives have been lost to attacks by gunmen who go about at night killing and maiming innocent residents.