Kaduna crisis: Goni Gora residents express shock over El-Rufai’s alleged threat to evacuate them

Following governor El-Rufai’s threat to demolish Gonin Gora community for allegedly blocking and killing of people on the road by youths during crises in Kaduna, residents of Goni Gora have expressed shock over the recent statement by the governor to relocate the inhabitants of the area.

Recall that governor El-Rufai had during a Hausa radio programme threatened to evacuate and relocate Gonin-Gora, a community with well over 500,000 residents if the youths in the area further attempt to block Kaduna-Abuja highway and attack innocent travellers.
The alleged threat by the governor generated controversies as residents of Goni Gora wondered why the governor had to narrow down the threat to their community.

Addressing newsmen at the palace of the late Sarkin Gonin Gora on behalf of the leaders and elders of Gonin-Gora and environs, the Sarkin Yaki Gora, Mr Simon Bijeh said, Gonin Gora residents were peaceful during the last crisis, adding that the governor’s pronouncement is an attempt to give dog a bad name in order to hang it.
The text of the briefing jointly signed by Alhaji Baba Ali (Dallatun Gonin Gora), John Auta (Ciroman Gonin Gora) Sule Fulani (Wakilin Fulani) and Zakka Auta (Wakilin Atyap) said, “It is unfortunate that while the communal clash was going on at Kasuwan Magani and later spilled over to Kaduna and environs, rumours were already being peddled in some areas of the town that killings, mounting of roadblocks and attacks of innocent motorists as well as kidnapping of passersby were going on unabated in Gonin-Gora.
“Indeed, all these false allegations and rumours are not new or strange news to the people of Gonin-Gora as this has always been the case whenever trouble is in the offing or had started in any part of Kaduna town.

“What transpired in reality is that throughout the violent clash on the 18th October, 2018 at Kasuwan Magani and its subsequent spillover to Kaduna and environs on 20th, 21st and 22nd respectively, Gonin-Gora and its environs remained calm and peaceful.
“It is in the context of these realities that we in Gonin-Gora are baffled and shocked by the reported threats of His Excellency, Governor Nasir El-Rufai to demolish and or evacuate the Gonin-Gora settlement on account of violence to and molestation of travelers which, to the best of our knowledge never ever occurred during this crisis.
“We are sure that it is either that the governor has been misinformed or ill-advised by people hell-bent on giving Gonin-Gora a bad and gory name in order to hang it,” he explained.
“Indeed, during this tense period, the acting Sarkin Gonin-Gora and his ward heads appealed to the residents, and the youths, in particular, to remain calm and law-abiding. It remained so until Friday, 26th October, 2018 when news about the killing of Agom Adara started circulating.
“On that fateful day, unknown to the leadership of the Gonin-Gora community, a handful of miscreants around Buwaya out of pure mischief took the law into their hands by mounting a road block immediately after the bye-pass overhead bridge coming from the toll gate from Abuja.
“This happened to be at about the same time that His Excellency, Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his convoy were coming from the direction of Abuja where he encountered many motorists that had been caught up by the twenty-four-hour curfew that had been imposed as well as the impromptu blockage mounted by the miscreants.
“On reaching the spot with his convoy and other motorists trailing behind him, the governor stopped and ordered the police to dismantle it to allow the motorists pass into Kaduna town.
“The leadership of Gonin- Gora community wish to restate the community’s resolved to promote peaceful coexistence, mutual understanding and interfaith solidarity not only within the Gonin-Gora settlement and environs but with all our neighbouring settlements.
“Our leaders will continue with our proactive interventions in educating our youths and all other members of our community on the primacy of the maintenance of peace, compliance with lawful order and the pursuit of cordial inter-communal and interfaith,” they assured.