• Home
• Columnist
• Videos
• Artist
  • Musicians
  • Actors
  • Comedians
• Notable Nigerians
• Legend Dies
• Articles
  • Nigeria Articles
• Photos
• Submit Article

President Goodluck Jonathan reads the riot act in a move to end the killings in Jos, Plateau State

Tension   is   on   the   rise again in Jos, the Plateau State capital.  On Sunday, September 11, the once popular city of peace but which has been  turned into a killing field through series of ethno – religious crises  was thrown into pandemonium as a result of two simultaneous explosions that rocked the West of Mines, a densely populated area of  Jos which serves as a relaxation spot.

The explosions which occurred at about 8.15 p.m., when social activities in the place were at their peak, jolted its residents even though no casualty was recorded. Newswatch learnt that the suspects drove into the relaxation spot in two vehicles, a dark Peugeot 406 and a red Opel Vectra, with speed, dropped the devices and sped off immediately.

In Abuja, the federal government was jolted into action. In a swift reaction, President Goodluck Jonathan, last Monday, directed Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, chief of defence staff, CDS,  to take full charge of the security situation in Plateau State. He also instructed Anyim Pius Anyim, secretary to the government of the federation to bring up all pending reports by recent committees set up by the federal government on the Jos crisis for immediate review and implementation.

The president refrained from supporting the suggestion for the proclamation of a state of emergency in Plateau State since a similar action in the past did not solve the problem. He renewed his call on parties involved in the crisis to embrace tolerance, dialogue and compromise to ensure the success of ongoing efforts to achieve a lasting resolution to the conflict. “The Plateau issue is not caused by religion, but religion is the fire that increases the problem. We are working on how to end it. During the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, a state of emergency was declared, but it did not solve the problem. For there to be peace in Jos, the people must agree that they want peace,” Jonathan said.

But the president quickly summoned Jonah Jang, governor of Plateau State, to Abuja where both men had a closed door meeting, Tuesday, last week.  Jang told journalists shortly after the meeting with the president in Aso Rock that he had given him his report on the situation in Jos.  The embattled governor who was visibly angry and weary dismissed the insinuation that the presidential directive that the CDS should take charge was a subtle way of imposing the state of emergency on the state. He explained that he is not God and so would not claim to have the capacity to end the protracted Jos crisis. “Go and read your constitution. I am not God to end Jos crisis…Is Plateau the only place that has security problem? Security situation is all over the country, so why are you so particular about Plateau State,” Jang said.

Of course, Jos is not the only part of Nigeria where the state of insecurity had caused anxiety. In the last one year, there has been a lot of blood letting in Maiduguri, Borno State, Kaduna, and Abuja, the nation’s capital as members of the Boko Haram sectarian sect wreak havoc and waste human lives with impunity. The state of insecurity assumed a terrorist dimension with the recent bombing of the Police Headquarters and the United Nations’ House, both in Abuja by alleged suicide bombers. There has also been bomb scares in Lagos, Ibadan, and Benin City as suspected members of the Boko Haram sect have allegedly threatened to bomb the University of Ibadan and the University of Benin. Indeed, the activities of Boko Haram now have assumed an international dimensions with the involvement of the dreaded al-Qaeda terrorist group. To worsen the ugly situation, some Boko Haram members were alleged to have penetrated the security institutions. 

The inability of the nation’s security agencies to rout the perpetrators of the dastardly acts has continued to pose a serious concern to many people.  Worried by the worsening state of insecurity, the National Council of State rose from an emergency meeting two weeks ago and recommended an urgent overhaul of the nation’s security apparatuses. The meeting, which was mainly convened by President Jonathan to discuss the worsening security situation in the country, had in attendance former heads of state and presidents of the country; state governors and the leadership of the bi-cameral legislature. Before the meeting, many Nigerians had called on the President to urgently retool the nation’s security agencies in view of the incidents of bombings, which seem to have defied the strategies of security personnel.

Owoye Azazi, national security adviser, NSA, who  highlighted the essence of the meeting, admitted that there were  security issues all over the country,  including the  problems in the Niger Delta,  the crisis in Jos,  and kidnapping in parts of the country. “But I think the focus was on what was considered topical at this point, explosives everywhere, especially at police headquarters, UN building and although there are claims as to who was responsible, the important thing is that we, as a nation, should realise that we are facing challenges that are relatively new to us,” he said. The NSA also said government would rejig the security apparatus; and explained that the council of state agreed on the use of technology in the fight against terrorism.

In line with the recommendation of the state security council, the president immediately overhauled the nation’s security apparatus with the appointment of Major General Sarki Yarki Bello of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army to take charge of terrorism.

However, while the federal government was devising measures to check the state of insecurity, Jos which had remained relatively peaceful for sometime was again on the boil. In the past few weeks, residents of Jos have lived in frustration, fear and uncertainty following renewed ethno-religious hostilities. The renewed crisis which started on Monday, August 29, which was Sallah day, has so far claimed thousands of lives and properties worth millions of Naira.

 It was gathered that the genesis of the fresh crisis was the decision of the Izala Islamic group to celebrate the end of the Ramadan on Monday, August 29, 2011, in an abandoned mosque located along the Rukuba road, an area populated mainly by Christians. The mosque had been hitherto abandoned by the group following previous crises in the area. But on that Sallah day, the group was said to have gone to the mosque despite the warning by the youths of the area that they should not use it.  But another version of the mayhem indicated that Muslim youths going for the prayers on that day, had, contrary to the directive of the police that they must not carry dangerous weapons to the praying grounds, brandished dangerous weapons at residents of the area as they drove by.  This was said to have infuriated the residents who were said to have mobilised in preparation for a showdown with the Muslims after the prayers, but were dispersed by the Special Task Force, STF, who allegedly shot and killed some of them.  The youths were said to have gone berserk when they were allegedly shot at.

It took the combined efforts of the police and military that shot several times into the air, to disperse the riotous youths. But that was only a temporary relief. Organised killings were later carried out in different parts of the town by gunmen on both sides of the conflict.

In a reprisal attack on September 4, suspected Fulani herdsmen killed Chollom Gyang, and his family of eight in Heipang, his village.The attackers were said to have come from Mahangar, a Fulani community in the wee hours of that day to launch the attack that wiped the entire family. On same Sunday morning on September 4, in another village in Plateau called Riyom, police found a bomb planted in a market place which had failed to go off because its battery had run flat.

AbrahamYijap, Plateau State commissioner for information, who took journalists to a house where the bodies of Gyang and his seven family members were still lying on the blood soaked floor, condemned the attack, describing it as an outrage on a peaceful community. “Every Nigerian and every lover of human race should rise in condemnation of the happenings in Plateau State; the killing and maiming of the innocent and the destruction of property. We give our condolences to these people and their loved ones. These people that are perpetrating these acts are not spirit; they are human beings. I want to say with a great sense of confidence that we would catch them; we are following certain leads, we would get to them. No matter how long it takes, we would follow them, we would get them,” he said.

However, the killings continued in other parts of Jos like Farin Gada, Mararaban Jama’a and Kuru, resulting to scores of deaths and vandalisation of properties.  Two weeks ago, residents of Kuru went on violent demonstration following an attack on their community at night during which four persons were brutally killed and several others injured. This was followed by another attack on an otherwise peaceful Zakaleo community in Jos North local government area which left seven dead, three injured and five houses burnt. Suspected Fulani herdsmen were alleged to have carried out the attack on the community.

At Zakaleo, where a midnight attack was launched, four of the seven persons killed that night were burnt beyond recognition. The villagers wailed helplessly and rained curses on the attackers as they prepared to bury the victims. Timothy Buba, chairman of the local government, accused soldiers, whose checkpoint was said to be just about one kilometre away from the village, of complicity. “See the soldiers’ checkpoint very close; even if they did not hear the cries of the people at least they saw the flames of fire from the burning houses but they refused to come on time,” he said.

But Captain Charles Ekeocha, spokesman of  the military Special Task Force, STF, code-named ‘Operation Safe Haven,’ said that the STF had no business with some of the affected areas because the task force had earlier withdrawn its men after the communities in the area said they did not want them.

The orgy of violence continued on Friday, September 9, when the killers struck at Gwanfil village in Vwang district of Jos South local government area and maimed 14 people, including a pregnant woman and a 70-year-old man identified as Pa Zaka. Newswatch gathered that their killers sneaked into the village at about 8 p.m. on that day and waited for  the residents to go to bed by 11 p.m. before they attacked them. Some of the villagers, who wept helplessly while narrating their ordeal, described the killing of the pregnant woman and the septuagenarian as heinous and heartless. Nvou Mallam, who lost her husband and children in the incident, said they had just finished prayers and were preparing to go to bed when they heard gunshots in their neghbouring compound.  “When we peeped, and saw some people in military uniform with guns and others with swords, I quickly took my granddaughter that was with me and crawled under our bed. I told my husband to join us under the bed but he refused. And suddenly the attackers who spoke in Fulani language broke in and shot him,” Mallam said.

Kachollom Bulus, another member of the village, said the attackers could have been arrested if security officials were on ground. She said the villagers were helpless due to the dangerous weapons the attackers used.

On the same night of September 9,   murderous gang attacked Tsohon Foron village during which nine people, mostly women and children were killed.  Recounting the incident Ezekiel Mwanta, a Tsohon Foron resident, told Newswatch that the gunmen in black dresses raided the village overnight, shooting into  the air before descending on their victims with machetes.

However, on September 10, Muhammed Abdullahi, one of the suspects was arrested in connection with recent crisis in Jos by men of the STF who foiled yet another attack that could have led to loss of lives. He was apprehended at night in Rop Village in Barkin Ladi local government. Parading the suspect at the headquarters of the Force, Ekeocha, the spokesman of the task force, said the 30 year-old Abdullahi was one of more than 30 attackers who besieged Rop village on the night of September 9.  He explained that they were able to arrest him based on the information they received from the youths of the area. “The youths of the area alerted us of the impending attack and we moved in. When the attackers learnt of our presence, they aborted their plan.  Unfortunately for this man, we met him on the road and we suspected him to be one of them.  We conducted immediate search on him and found in his travelling bag some weapons. The weapons in his travelling bag include a pistol, knife and handset,” Ekeocha said. In addition, 54 other persons have been arrested in connection with the renewed violence in the state.

The arrest of Abdullahi did not deter other assailants as they struck again the following day being September 11, at West of Mines, an area of Jos predominantly occupied by Christians. It was this particular incident that compelled President Jonathan to read the riot act on the protracted Jos crisis. Already, Petinrin, the CDS has complied with the president’s directive and move to Jos to take firm control of the security.

The presidential move came on the heels of the call by the United Nations human rights office on Nigeria to halt spiralling violence between Christian and Muslim youths in Jos. Navi Pillay, spokesman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said security forces had sometimes made the ethnic clashes worse by their interventions, appearing to take sides or using excessive force.”We stress that security forces must also act in full compliance with the law, in an even-handed manner, when responding to outbreaks of violence in the country, otherwise they risk making the cycle of violence even worse,” he said. He advised that the alleged perpetrators of violence must be prosecuted and the victims or their families compensated.

The bloodbath in Jos also prompted the Northern governors to summon an emergency meeting to discuss how to resolve the sectarian crisis which has claimed the lives of thousands of people in the past 10 years. Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, governor of Niger State and chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum,  who called for the emergency meeting, said it would hold on Wednesday, September 21. At the meeting, the forum would come up with recommendations that would break the cycle of violence that had engulfed Jos in the last one decade.

Aliyu condemned the spate of killings that had spread to villages in Plateau State in the last few weeks and vowed that the Northern governors would ensure the madness was stopped. He explained that they would endeavour to curb the mutual suspicion and distrust among the ethnic groups in the state, the quest for political power and land ownership as well as misuse of religion for selfish interest which had been identified as the causes of the crisis. “The problem in Jos is far from religious. It is socio-economic. Therefore, we will not allow individuals and groups to continue to exploit religion for socio-economic and political gains,” Aliyu said.

He urged President Jonathan to implement previous reports on the Jos crisis because the failure of successive governments to implement such reports was largely responsible for the recurring mayhem in the city. He made particular reference to the 20-point recommendation of the Solomon Lar committee which includes the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, creation of new local government and districts in Jos North, establishment of grazing reserves in vulnerable areas to curtail frequent conflicts between farmers and Fulani cattle herdsmen as well as constitutional solution to the volatile problem of indigenship.

The Jos crisis dates back to April 12, 1994, when the once popular tin city lost its innocence. The genesis of the problem was the creation of Jos North local government area in 1991, by Ibrahim Babangida, a general and former military president. It tended to have sown the seed of the discord that has continued to haunt Jos. Since the creation of the council, there have been fierce battles for the control of political power between leaders of Birom ethnic group who are owners of the land and the Hausa – Fulani whom they regard as settlers.  The protracted crisis escalated in September 2001, when the city was engulfed in another round of ethno-religious crisis which claimed several lives. At the peak of the crises in 2004, former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared emergency rule in the state, suspending the administration of former governor Joshau Dariye for six months. What makes the situation particularly tragic is that there seems to be no solution in sight as one round of violence breeds another in what has become a vicious cycle of revenge.

 Another major conflict which claimed about 350 lives took place on January 17, 2010. These killings led to the setting up of a peace panel headed by Lar, former governor of old Plateau State, who is well respected in that state. The committee set up by President Jonathan had at the conclusion of its assignment, written and submitted a report to the federal government. But its recommendations have not been made public to date. However, based on his pronouncement last week, President Jonathan appears prepared to review and implement the reports on Jos crisis.

Interestingly, some of the prominent leaders of Plateau State who spoke to Newswatch consider the president’s move as a step in the right direction. Sanni Murdi,   spokesman of the Muslim Community in Plateau State, told Newswatch that the federal government’s decision to implement the recommendations of the Lar panel would serve as a panacea to the lingering crisis. He explained that unlike all the previous panels which failed to proffer solutions to the crisis because they concentrated more on the criminal aspects of the crisis, the Lar panel was quite different.  “It was not a fact-finding panel.  It was a panel made up of stakeholders, particularly eminent people from various groups in Jos and its environs where we have been having this crisis. The panel looked at all the issues. The issue of indigenship, traditional institution, issues of economy, unemployment, local government, religion etc.  The panel dealt with all these issues and it also looked into the works of all previous panels on Jos crisis set before it. So in the Lar report, you can find largely all the solutions or references to those reports.  So, we believe the Solomon Lar report is very good and if implemented will ensure a lasting peace in Plateau State.”

Like Murdi, Ayuba Pam, special adviser on media to Jang, believes that the decision of the federal government to review and implement the recommendations of the Lar panel is well thought out. He, however, advised the federal government to involve the state government in its implementation. “The federal government should sit down with the state government to review all previous reports.These previous reports tally in one way or the other. If this is done, I think much will be achieved towards ensuring lasting peace in Plateau State,” Pam told Newswatch.