'Resist divisive tendencies over Southern Kaduna killings' - Osinbajo tells Nigerians

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has urged the citizenry to display true leadership virtues and resist the temptation to succumb to divisive tendencies.


A source in the Presidency, who craved anonymity, quoted the Acting President as responding to the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which accused him of keeping silent in the face of brutal killings of Christians in Southern Kaduna.

The source said Osinbajo would always work in line with the rule of law and was committed to the best standards of governance that value the life of every Nigerian, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

He noted that even though there were weaknesses in the nation’s criminal justice system that limited his action, the Acting President was still working within government to bring the reforms necessary, including the option of community policing, to effectively arrest the situation in Southern Kaduna and other places.

The source said: “The Acting President has always acted to defend the rule of law and course of Justice. He is firmly committed to the best standards of governance that primes and values the life of every Nigerian, regardless of religion or ethnicity. As far as he is concerned, all Nigerians are equal and loved by God and does not discriminate on the basis of religion.

“Alongside the President, Prof. Osinbajo is unwavering in ensuring that anyone who violates the law should and must be made to face the full extent of the law.

“He has spoken out publicly on the inherent weaknesses in the nation’s Criminal Justice System, and is working assiduously within government to bring the reforms necessary, including the option of community policing.

“The current limitations of the criminal justice system, however, affect virtually every kind of crime, including the example of high profile murders of the past, many of which remain unsolved.

“This administration will continue to defend and protect the lives of all Nigerian citizens. It’s the reason the President gave firms instructions to security agencies – military and police – to send reinforcements to Southern Kaduna to enforce the peace. The Southern Kaduna crisis has become a worrying recurrent decimal over the years.

“We -all of us in government, political, religious leaders, traditional rulers and the Nigerian people, especially the elites- must work to find a lasting solution.”