Don’t erase Muslim victims from Southern Kaduna history, youth foundation tells politicians

The Muslim Youth Foundation of Southern Kaduna (MYFOSKA) has urged politicians and other stakeholders not to erase the experiences of Muslim victims from the history of insecurity and communal violence in Southern Kaduna.

The group said Muslim communities in the region had also suffered attacks, displacement and loss of lives and property, stressing that their experiences must be recognised in any honest account of the region’s troubled history.

In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Dr Kabiru Muhammed, and National Secretary, Usman Abubakar, MYFOSKA said, “there should be no hierarchy of suffering among victims of conflicts in Southern Kaduna, regardless of their religious or ethnic identities.”

It said attempts to selectively reinterpret the region’s history for political purposes were dangerous, warning against narratives that recognise some victims while ignoring others.

According to the group, insecurity and communal violence in Southern Kaduna did not begin in 2015, noting that the region had witnessed crises including “the Zangon Kataf crisis, Kasuwan Magani violence, Sharia-related disturbances and the 2011 post-election violence.”

MYFOSKA said the conflicts had complex roots involving identity, citizenship, religion, political competition, access to resources, criminality and failures of security and justice institutions. It added that this historical context did not absolve any government, including the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, of responsibility for protecting lives and property.

The group also rejected collective blame, saying perpetrators should be identified through evidence and the law rather than attributing wrongdoing to entire religious or ethnic communities.

It called for responsible documentation of Southern Kaduna’s history, inclusive governance, fair representation, equitable development and broader security consultations, saying genuine peace could only be built when the experiences of all victims were acknowledged.

“Southern Kaduna deserves truth, balance and justice,” the group said, insisting that recognising Muslim victims should not diminish the suffering of other communities, just as acknowledging the failures of governments should not require erasing every development achievement.