Southern Kaduna Tasks FG On Rebuilding Of Ravaged Settlements
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has called on the Federal Government to rebuild the communities ravaged by herdsmen in the area and other parts of the state.
Noting that no amount of money could bring back the dead, the organissation stressed that there was need for President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately rebuild the communities destroyed by the nomads in Birnin Gwari and rehabilitate families of victims nationwide.
In a statement by its national publicity officer, Yakubu Kuzamani, SOKAPU said: “We receive with satisfaction the approval of the sum of N10 billion by the President for the rebuilding of destroyed communities in Benue State. This long-awaited step is salutary and needs to be expeditiously executed so as to speedily ameliorate the suffering of the surviving victims that have borne the brunt of unprovoked attacks by rampaging terrorists in Benue State.
“It must be noted, however, that no amount of money will bring back the lives of those killed and neither will the funds be adequate to rebuild the destroyed communities. Nevertheless, the funds will provide some succour and palliatives as well as revive the hopes of those still living in the affected communities.”
SOKAPU went on: “While commending the Federal Government for this pecuniary gesture as part of its attempts to alleviate the suffering of the victims of terrorist activities in Benue State, we also deem it necessary to call on the government to carry out its interventionist measures in other communities that have suffered similar fate, particularly, communities in not less than five council areas in Southern Kaduna that were turned into a theatre of terrorist activities and killing fields.
“We mass buried hundreds while communities and villages were completely destroyed. Families were wiped out in one fell swoop. Mourning, weeping, burials, destitution, destruction, deaths became the hallmark of activities in Southern Kaduna for several months.”
Kuzamani further said: “Southern Kaduna denizens have been turned into orphans, widows and widowers. Poverty, destitution, homelessness and hunger stare us in the face.
We are already experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis of very huge proportion.
“In the light of the above, SOKAPU calls on the President to urgently set up interventionist measures akin to a marshal plan to rebuild, reconstruct, rehabilitate and restore Southern Kaduna to its pristine position.”
