NOIPolls, a Public Opinion organization has said that its latest public poll results which focused on Kaduna crisis have revealed that following measures taken by security agencies particularly the Nigerian Police and the Army, 60 per cent of Kaduna residents 60% of Kaduna residents now believe that the security situation in Kaduna State has improved very much compared to two years ago.
According to a press release by the body, another 56% of Kaduna residents affirmed that they feel secure in their present location regardless of the conflict.
Meanwhile, it also said 34% of Kaduna residents confirmed that they have either lost a family member or a friend during the crisis while 44% revealed a high sense of insecurity in Kaduna South Senatorial district which formed the majority of the residents interviewed.
The statement said, “A deeper analysis by senatorial districts show that Kaduna South had the highest number of residents (51 per cent) who recorded a loss, this is unsurprising as it is the hotbed of the conflict.
“This figure is quite worrisome as it reflects not only the high state of insecurity in Southern Kaduna but also the huge loss of lives incurred during the period of the conflict as it was reported that about 800 people lost their lives and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
“More findings also revealed that some of the causes of the recent conflicts in southern Kaduna were due to religious differences (38 per cent), farmers and herdsmen misunderstanding (26 percent) and political differences (14 percent) amongst others.
“These findings further indicate that there is an urgent need to control religious intolerance and also solve the farmers and herdsmen crisis in the affected area in order for the citizens to enjoy undiluted peace that would in turn bring about growth and development of both the region and the nation.
“An assessment of Kaduna State’s residents also revealed that 45 percent rated the response of the security agent good or satisfactory when compared to other stakeholders, giving a majority hope and a good sense of security for their lives and properties.
Listing recommendations suggested by Kaduna residents to prevent future conflicts in the state, NOIPolls said, “Residents advocated that the government should improve security in the state (35 percent), preaching of religious tolerance and peace (28 percent) and dialogue between religious leaders and stakeholders (12 percent) amongst other remedies.
“Therefore, the military base that was set up in Zango Kataf local government area is in line with the people’s thoughts and would go a long way to douse the crises rocking Southern Kaduna in recent times.
“In addition, there should be a thorough teaching of religious knowledge, from the primary level in all the national schools, with a special focus on tolerance. These were some of the key findings from the Southern Kaduna Conflict poll conducted in the week of February 1st, 2017.”
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