Nofewer than seven persons were feared killed while several others were
injured as a result of violent clashes that erupted between Christian
and Muslim youths at Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of
Kaduna State, yesterday.
Several houses were also reportedly razed in
the community located along the Kaduna-Kafanchan expressway, about 31
kilometres from Kaduna, the state capital, before the situation was
brought under control by security operatives.
Police spokesman in the state, ASP Aliyu
Mukhtar, who confirmed that there was tension in the area, however,
declined to give any specific number of casualties.
He said the situation had been brought
under control and police were taking inventory of the damage that might
have occurred during the clashes, adding that the assistant commissioner
of police (operations) had since moved to the area.
Though there were conflicting reports on
the immediate cause of the mayhem, the summary of all the reports was
that the issue of dating between Hausa Muslims and Christian girls,
which had been lingering over time, got out of hand yesterday.
One version of the story claimed that a
Christian girl was abducted and converted to Islam and taken to the
residence of a Muslim leader, from where the crisis got heated up. But
another version claimed that Christian youths were moving around to beat
up their girls suspected to be going out with Hausa Muslims in the
area.
A source, which did not want to be named,
disclosed that, recently, a Christian girl was beaten up by Christian
boys and her mother reported the matter to the police, but the police
were chased away by youths when they attempted to make arrests.
The development forced many residents,
especially women and children, out of their homes due to fear of the
unknown, while motorists plying the road were also stranded for hours.
Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai, has directed the prosecution of all persons responsible for
the mayhem. He charged security agencies to investigate the incident, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
A statement by the senior special
assistant on media and publicity to the governor, Samuel Aruwan, said
el-Rufai condemned the violence and regreted the wanton destruction of
lives.
“The government has directed the State
Emergency Management Agency to take inventory of damage and provide
relief materials, with immediate effect. Security forces have been
deployed to contain the situation, protect life and property and to
prevent any further breakdown of law and order,” he said.
El-Rufai equally urged all citizens and
communities to reject violence and division, and uphold their neighbours
in peace and harmony, in the interest of economic and social development of the area and the state at large.