Christian group blasts El-Rufai over claims of Muslim majority in Kaduna, demands proof

A group known as the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, an umbrella body for the ethnic nationalities in the Christian dominated part of the state on Friday berated the state governor El-Rufai over his recent claims that Muslims constitute 70 per cent of the state population.

SOKAPU in a statement by its President, Solomon Musa challenged the governor to produce empirical evidence to authenticate his claim.

El-Rufai while featuring on Channels Television programme “Sunrise Daily” on April 6 had said

Muslims constituted 70 percent of the state population, making them a majority

“Here in Kaduna we have a significant Muslim majority, 70 per cent and 30 per cent Christian minority,”the governor said.

But the group while describing the governors claim as baseless and ridiculous wondered how El-Rufai came about the conclusion when the 2006 population census excluded questions on religion and ethnicity.

The statement reads, “We were both amazed and concerned at the religious ratio of 70 per cent Muslims to 30 per cent Christians that he gave on national TV.

“This is because, based on the 2006 census, there was no question asking Nigerians their religious leaning.

“So it came as a shock that Governor El-Rufai could carelessly and recklessly give the ratio of the two major religions in the state without any empirical evidence.

“This is a most unfortunate statement from a governor who is expected to know the risk of stoking the flames of religious intolerance by deliberately misleading Nigerians.”

Musa said the group was gradually getting to know the mindset of the Governor through such utterances.

He claimed that some of El-Rufai’s policies, “since assuming power have been tainted by his dangerous belief that Muslims hold the majority in the state”.

Musa stated that the skewed appointments in Kaduna state, “so far are the worst that we have seen for a long time”.

The group noted that the Minister, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Chief of Staff, the Principal Private Secretary, the Speaker of the House of Assembly for the first time were all from El-Rufai’s side.

“This, to us is deliberate and a true manifestation of his belief that fairness and equity shouldn’t be reflected in his administration.

“We also want to tell the Governor that he goofed when he said that no killing took place in southern Kaduna in the last six months. On March 24, 2016 Mr. Daniel was shot dead in his house around 7pm in Antor, Aboro District of Numana Chiefdom, Sanga local government area. Same March, a man was butchered in Ancha Gida, Ancha district of Ninzo chiefdom in his farm by suspected Fulani gunmen. Another man was killed last December on his farm by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Yaute, Wasa district of Numana chiefdom.

“The governor probably doesn’t consider those killings worthy of his attention since in the same interview he said the killers were victims of the 2011 crisis, and then went further to justify the killings on innocent people of Southern Kaduna by saying that the Fulani have a long memory of revenging any killings,” the statement said.