The Southern Kaduna Baptist Conference has appealed to the state government to reverse the removal of some district heads considering the worsening security situation in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the State Government in 2017 sacked 4,776 district and village heads to shore up the finances of the Local Government Councils in the state.
Rev. Donald Arak, President of the Conference, made the call on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Arak said district heads play a vital role in maintaining peace, adding that their removal had made tackling security challenges more difficult.
“We know the role traditional rulers play in maintaining peace and without them in place there won’t be any tangible peace.
“And so we are appealing to the Kaduna State Government to reconsider the issue of district heads that were removed from their positions.
“Their removal has not helped in tackling the security challenges we are facing. We need them back so that the peace we are crying for can be achieved,” he added.
Arak noted that though government may have had its reasons for removing the district heads, the harsh realities on ground calls for their reinstatement.
He said that without the presence of district heads at the grassroots, the community policing initiative of government may not be successful and effective.
“Community policing is a great idea but it will not be effective without traditional rulers at the grassroots to monitor and coordinate them.
“We cannot say we need community policing without people that those community police can be accountable to,” he said.
He added that the Baptist denomination would continue to seek divine solution to the security challenges bedeviling the region.
In his remarks, the Council Chairman, Mr Charles Danladi, restated the commitment of the state government to achieving and sustaining lasting peaceful co-existence in Southern Kaduna.
Danladi, who was represented by the Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, said the state government would look into the concerns raised by the conference regarding the sacked district heads.
He commended the Baptist denomination for its contributions to the development of the education and health sectors in the country.
NAN reports that the president of the conference also visited the Etum Numana, Iliya Yammah, who assured of the partnership of the traditional institutions with faith based organisations.
