Written by Ibraheem Musa, Kaduna
Friday, 19 March 2010 03:11
B
arrister Yahaya Mahmood has appeared as counsel to many communities before several commissions of inquiry into ethno-religious crises in parts of the North in the last 20 years. In this interview in Kaduna, the legal practitioner gives insight into how such crises were stopped in Kaduna State and recommended a formula that will prevent persistent bloodletting in Plateau State.
You were counsel to “Hausa/Fulani settlers” of Zangon Kataf of KadunaState before the Justice Rahila Cudjoe Commission of Inquiry in 1992 and “Jasawa settlers” of Jos before the Niki Tobi Commission of Inquiry into the 2001 riots. What are the similarities of the two religious riots?
They are not religious riots. They are ethnic clashes between those that are called indigenes and those called settlers. The dispute in the two communities is not over religion, its practice or right. It is purely economic. In both cases, people who settled 200 years who are purely traders and businessmen dominated the economy over those who say they are indigenes and who are public servants and farmers.
It has been quite some time since a major ethnic/religious riot erupted in Kaduna State, can you give us an insight into how the issues were settled?
The various commissions of inquiry in Kaduna identified a fundamental issue. The Atyaps of Zangon Kataf wanted chiefdom. The settler area of the town was also made a district of the new chiefdom, completely separated from Zazzau emirate. And today we have peace.
Is the same panacea applicable to the Plateau crises?
In Plateau State, the settlers are issued “settler certificates”. In Zangon Kataf, there was no such thing. In Jos, the settlers have no rights to public schools, hospitals or jobs. And they had no rights to contest for public offices. In Zangon Kataf the restrictions were not formal.
How can the government settle the Jos crisis?
Very simple, if the ‘indigenes’ will not accept the ‘settlers’ as Nigerians with a right to stay anywhere in Nigeria and enjoy rights as Nigerians, then the federal government should move all the settlers out of Jos back to wherever and pay them adequate compensation. That is why I welcomed the Chief Solomon Lar Panel, made up of indigenes and settlers to sort out their differences. It is better than setting up Judicial Commissions of Inquiry.
Most Nigerians and countries like the United States and the United Kingdom believe that the prosecution of offenders will serve as both deterrent to would-be rioters and also solve the intermittent crises.
The question is which of the offenders? Do we start with those identified from 1980 riots? That’s one problem. The second problem is the legal system. If people can go to Court and enforce their rights, the riots will not take place in the first place. If leaders will be just and fair, the riots will not take place. We also discovered during the inquiries that politics play a role in inciting the riots. It is impossible to arrest and prosecute all the real culprits. It is impossible to get to more truth than what I said to you earlier.
So how do we stop the Jos riots?
We should allow Chief Solomon Lar panel to do its work. They know themselves. They know the problems and have the solution. The federal government must step in, be firm and rebuild the town as was done in Zango. Plateau State government should be neutral and fair to all, if the settlers are to remain in Jos. The leaders of the settlers should undertake to control their people and there should be mutual respect. Only that can guarantee peace.
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