End Insurgency Now, Emirs Tell Jonathan

Chairmen of State Council of Chiefs in the northern states have lamented the increasing killing of Muslims by insurgents in the region. The eminent leaders, under the aegis of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, who spoke at the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto yesterday, called for decisive actions by the federal government to end the activities of insurgents and reconsider dialogue as the best option to restoring peace in the country.
In a statement issued by the secretary of the coordination committee and Emir of Kazaure,  Alhaji Najib Hussaini, the traditional rulers said amnesty should be considered for insurgents who embrace peace to facilitate their reformation and reintegration into the larger society.
“To this end, the federal government is called upon to reconsider its stand and offer amnesty to insurgents who embrace the path of peace, reformation and reintegration with the larger society.
This is the norm the world over and there exists a precedent in Nigeria,” they argued.
The traditional rulers who maintained that the insurgency was not targeted at non-Muslims, submitted that majority of the victims of attacks by gunmen in the North were Muslims, adding that attempts on the lives of the Shehu of Borno, the Emirs of Kano and
Fika as well as the killings of Muslim scholars were clear testimonies that adherents of Islam were not being spared by the insurgents.
According to the traditional rulers, ordinary Nigerians were the worst victims of the ranging crises in the Nigeria, even as they noted that rising youth unemployment provided steady recruitment bases for militants.
Making their call on the federal government to take drastic steps towards fighting poverty by creating jobs, the traditional rulers said a holistic review of the nation’s education system aimed at producing skilful, productive and self-reliant students would serve as an antidote to the current security challenges.
The council, while commiserating with victims of all the crises in the country, further called on every Nigerian to pray for God’s intervention. It also promised to the rotate its meetings among the states in the north on quarterly basis.
And while opening the international conference on “Islam and the fundamentals of peaceful co-existence in Nigeria in Sokoto yesterday,” President Goodluck Jonathan cautioned that religion must not be used to justify violence.
He advised that through individual and collective effort, “we must do everything in our powers to ensure that religion is not misused or abused.”
The president therefore, called on all faithful to reject religious-motivated violence and embrace tolerance to promote mutual understanding.
President Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi  Sambo, stressed that “our young people must be shielded from the teachings, which will take them down the path of violence and hatred.”
He also warned: “We must also guide against individuals who use faith as an excuse to emphasise our differences.”
Secretary-general, Muslim World League, Dr. Abdullahi bin Abdul-Muhsin Al-Turki, said: “We must try to prevent our differences from becoming the reason for insecurity.”
Sultan Abubakar said peaceful co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims was non-negotiable.
He added: “Let us do the right thing always. Let us keep away from the bad things Allah prohibited us from doing. May Allah continue to guide our leaders aright so that they will continue to do the right thing in the country.
“We have problems not because we are a different set of people, but because we have deviated from the true path of our religion as Muslims and Christians.
We must go back to our books and follow the teachings of our noble leaders and always do what is right”.
Sheik Dr. Ahmad Lemo in his appeal to Christians over the date for the conference, which coincides with the Good Friday celebration, said it was not deliberate, stressing that “care will be taken subsequently so that such coincidences are avoided.”
Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, said: “we must learn how to live peacefully with one another.
Without peace, no meaningful development could be attained.