…To combat crime, banditry, kidnapping
Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmed el-Rufa’i, has launched an early warning system, the Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System, (CEWERS), of the Kaduna State Peace Commission.
The governor, during the launching, pointed out that banditry is a crime that is bedevilling the entire Kaduna state and it is complicating communal relations in the State’s diverse communities.
El-Rufa’i maintained that an early warning and response system will no doubt contribute to helping the State to overcome such a baleful legacy of conflict.
The governor further pointed out that victims of the depredations of these criminals often turn on those they believe share ethnic or religious affinity with them. “Stopping the bandits is an essential contribution to ending the communal conflict”, he stated.
According to him, acquiring the early warning and response system is “another validation of the mandate of the Peace Commission, and the contributions the agency is making to peace and security in Kaduna State”.
The governor recalled that his administration established the Kaduna State Peace Commission as part of its efforts to overcome the legacy of violent conflicts that have blighted the state since the Kasuwan-Magani crisis of 1980.
“The final impetus for this step was provided by this government’s consideration of the White Papers of the reports of the peace committee established by Governor Patrick Yakowa, of blessed memory, and the Agwai Committee on violent conflict in southern Kaduna”, he stated.
The governor thanked bi-lateral, multi-lateral and civil society partners that have supported the State’s conflict mitigation efforts leading to the creation of the Peace Commission.
