By Sani Idris Abdulrahman
The Coalition of Concerned Muslim Ummah of Southern Kaduna has accused some elites in the region of promoting what it described as manipulative narratives that exclude Muslims from the socio-political and historical fabric of Southern Kaduna.
Addressing a press briefing on Saturday in Kaduna, Dr Kabir Muhammad, the Chaiman of Muslim Youth Foundation of Southern Kaduna (MYFOSKA), said that the region is an exclusively Christian enclave are “historically inaccurate,” stressing that Muslims have been part of Southern Kaduna for centuries.
“Islam and Muslims were present in the area long before the 19th-century Jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio and long before many of the present communities settled there,”
Muhammad cited demographic reports saying that Muslims constitute approximately 40 percent of the population in the area.
He added that Hausa, Fulani, and other indigenous Muslim groups have lived in towns such as Zangon Kataf, Kafanchan, Kachia, Kagarko, Kaura, Jama’a, Kajuru, and Sanga for generations, even before the arrival of Christianity and the Uthman Dan Fodio Jihad.
He dismissed claims that the previous administration orchestrated the region’s crises, recalling violent episodes dating back to the 1980s, including the 1987 Kafanchan riot, the 1992 Zangon Kataf conflict, and the 2011 post-election violence.
“It is inhumane for any individual or group to politicize the recurrent bloodshed in Southern Kaduna to a specific period,” he said.
Muhammad further argued that Muslims in Southern Kaduna played a decisive role in the electoral victories of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, 2019, and 2023. According to the group, Muslims in the region voted overwhelmingly for Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Tinubu during the last elections, while most Christians supported opposition parties.
He accused some Christian elites of fuelling violence and monopolising opportunities, alleging that such figures manipulate chieftaincy arrangements, inflate population figures for political advantage, and feed “one-sided narratives” to the media and international community.
“These elites thrive on bloodshed and manipulation, they have a history of resurrecting old politics of violence, intimidating Muslims, and blackmailing governments.”
While commending Governor Sani for his “inclusive leadership,” Muhammad urged him to be cautious of individuals who it claimed never supported his government but are now seeking to influence it.
He also called on the media to “shun propaganda and verify claims before publication” and on Southern Kaduna communities to “reject being pawns in the games of selfish elites.”
“The current peace in Kaduna State is not by accident. With purposeful leadership, a new, peaceful and egalitarian Kaduna State is possible,” he added.
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