TheCable

Femi Adesina, spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari, says his principal will not talk about the persistent killings in the southern Kaduna because Nasir el-Rufai, the governor, “is on top of the matter”.

Fulani herdsmen have been accused of being behind the killings.

The Kaduna government had to impose  a 24-hour curfew in three local government areas which recorded high rate of violence recently.

Despite the measure, the killings have been going on.

Speaking on Sunrise daily, a Channels TV programme, Adesina said when such situation occurs, the governor as the chief security officer is meant to deal with it.

“You don’t have to hear from the president on that matter. You see, when it pays us, we talk about federalism and true federalism, yet you want the president and presidency to talk about everything,” he said.

“When things like this happen in a state, there is a chief security officer, he is supposed to be on top of the matter. Governor el-Rufai was at the villa on Thursday to brief the president, so why should the president then be talking about it?

“True federalism is the governor should be in charge and he is in charge of it.”

Adesina said state and local governments have a major role to play in dealing with herdsmen crisis.

“When these herdsmen attack happen, you need to see what the president is doing, always on the line with the governors and talking with them and getting updates,” he said.

“And he has said it before – even former President Olusegun Obasanjo said it, this problem will be sorted out with the local governments and the states principally. The federal government has roles to play but not as much as the state and local governments.”