Some victims of the communal crisis in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have urged people in the area to forgive one another and unite in forging a common front to prevent the cycles of violence in the area.
They said that it was necessary for those affected by the crisis or lost loved ones to have the sprit of forgiveness in order to achieve lasting peace in the area.
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The victims spoke during the monthly Forum with the Media on peace building, organized by Interfaith Mediation Centre, on Tuesday in Kaduna.
One of the victims, Mrs Katherine Bernard, who lost her husband and only daughter during the crisis in Kajuru in 2018, said she had learnt to keep the past behind and forgive those who attacked her family and community.
“When the incident happened I vowed not to speak or talk to any Muslim in the area or answer their greetings, but after going through alot of training and enlightenment programmes by various NGOs and peace activists, I learnt the importance of forgiveness.
“I have forgiven those that killed my husband and daughter.
“We are now living in peace with the people in the community and also with those we did not share the same religious beliefs.
“We should always learn to forgive one another,” she said.
Also, Mrs Marwa Abubakar who lost her husband during the crisis, said it was very painful to lose loved ones, “especially in the hands of people we live together with”.
She said that the psychosocial programmes organised by the interfaith centre and other groups had helped her and other victims to overcome the trauma and forgive those who wronged them.
Earlier, Hajiya Halima Ibrahim, Principal Communication Officer with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kaduna office, commended the victims for their bravery and imbibing the sprit of forgiveness.
“Forgiveness and reconciliation is very key in the effort to end the crisis.
“Violence is never an alternative to peace, if we have peace then there will be development. (NAN)
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