The Borno Elders Forum on Wednesday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to end the crisis in Kaduna State.
The Chairman of BEF, Usman Gaji-Galtimari, made the appeal in a statement in Maiduguri.
“From what we read and heard in the print and electronic media, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has been branded as an insurgency group and therefore outlawed.
“We see what is happening in Kaduna State as similar to what happened in Borno State back in 2009, leading to a sorry state of affairs in the state,” he said.
He explained that the forum had no interest whatsoever in the existence or otherwise of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.
However, the chairman of the forum said that members were deeply concerned that a dark history appeared to be repeating itself.
He said given the most horrifying experiences in the North East, the elders owed Mr. Buhari and Nigeria the shared responsibility of pointing at potential danger and advising on ways to averting it.
“Your Excellency may concur with us that there is the need to draw lessons from our recent and indeed ongoing crisis in the North-East and pockets of other crises across the country.
“It is therefore necessary to take all the available routes to avert any further incidents.
“We wish to appeal to you to arrest the Kaduna situation and amicably settle all contending issues so that peace will reign in Central Nigeria.
“Our harrowing experiences in the North-East should be enough to guide us as a nation to cultivate peace and peaceful co- habitation.
“Your government has done tremendously well to curb the activities of the Boko Haram. We are all hopeful to return to peace and the nightmare of igniting another religious crisis should be avoided,” Gaji-Galtimari said.
