The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr Olasupo Ayokunle, on Monday, said the killings in Southern Kaduna were giving the state a negative image.
Ayokunle said this when he led other Christian clerics to meet with the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
Also in attendance were heads of security agencies in the state.
Although the CAN leader said the killings in the southern part of the state predated the current administration, he urged the government to do all it could to end them.
According to him, the continuing crisis has made people to tag it religious or ethnic because it “has given them room to say whatever they are saying.”
Ayokunle implored the government to bring the killers to justice, arguing that the rate of prosecution so far was not proportional to the frequency of attacks.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria is ready to partner your government and security agents in finding a solution to this matter. Let there be a roundtable discussion and a pledge of cooperation rather than confrontation,” he added.
Reacting, El-Rufai expressed sadness over the loss of lives in a totally unnecessary frenzy of communal attacks and reprisals.
He welcomed the visit of the CAN leadership and promised to consider the eight recommendations made by Ayokunle for implementation.
“While we mourn the dead, our immediate focus remains to stop the cycle of attacks and reprisals. We remain committed to ending the legacy of violence that has blighted the state for 40 years,” the governor said.
As the meeting between the governor and the CAN leader was going on, the Kaduna State chapter of the Council of Imams and Ulama warned Christians in the southern part of the state to stop killing innocent Muslims in the area.
This, the Muslim leaders said, was to avoid reprisals, which would prolong the crisis.
The Secretary General, Council of Imams and Ulama, Kaduna State, Sheikh Yusuf Arigasiyyu, alleged that over 100 innocent Muslims were massacred during the recent attack on Zango-Kataf communities.
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