Fresh massacre in Jos.

Photo: THE SUN PUBLISHING

Monday, August 29 began with a bustle in Jos, Plateau State. Members of the Izala group, an Islamic sect, trooped to the Eid ground located in Christian-dominated area. Then, the perceived effrontery by the Izala sect members to “cross” the boundary exploded into a tumble. What began like a holy meeting, to end the Ramadan fasting season, turned into a violent clash. And before the residents of Jos could recover from what was, initially, thought to be an isolated case, the entire city was on fire.
Soldiers, angry like hungry lions, rolled out tanks, while mobile policemen turned their barrels at the direction of rampaging youths. The crisis left in its wake blood, corpses, charred remains of burnt cars and rubbles. That week seemed to be hectic for residents, as grief filled the air.

At first, the crisis looked like a war scene. A thick cloud of smoke from burning cars, which mingled with dust permeated the cold morning air. When the smoke and the dust had settled, an exodus of people began. It was a pitiable sight: women in the area scrambled for what they could salvage, crying children tried to locate their parents and harassed husbands also began to search for their wives and children.
That scenario was replicated in Zagaleo village, on the outskirts of Jos, along the busy Jos-Bauchi road. The attacks had the tales that were not comforting. On each occasion, when calm returned, government would promise to fish out the perpetrators for punishment, a vow it has never fulfilled.

For the security agents, this is not a time to propose a toast or to pop champagne. The government, on its part, is having a huge problem containing the excesses of men in military uniform, hiding under the cover of maintaining security. But Captain Charles Ekeocha, the Special Task Force spokesman, disagreed and asked the people of Plateau State not to drag the name of the military into the mud.
He said: “Anybody making that insinuation is just trying to tarnish the image of the Nigerian military. As I keep on saying, it cannot be true. This thing is unfounded. It cannot be true. I repeat, it cannot be true. We are not part of the attack. The only thing is that they are only trying to politicise our operation here and we do not want to be involved in the politics of Plateau State.

“So, it is high time they settled whatever is their problem. As I keep on saying, the problem of Plateau State can only be solved by dialogue and forgiveness. Even if they bring the American army here, the same problem will still come up. So, let them dialogue among themselves. The ethnic groups should dialogue and that is what will bring a sustainable peace here. But for anybody to keep on rubbishing the Nigerian army is wrong.”

Still, physical and psychological attacks have become the lot of soldiers these days. From all the nooks and crannies of the city, soldiers are at the receiving end from indigenes, who are claiming that soldiers and not “settlers” attacked them.
On Monday in Zakaleo near Babale, for example, the residents claimed that men in military uniform attacked them in the thick of the night, leaving in their trail blood and destruction of their property. Tabitha Danjuma, a native, told newsmen that those who came to attack them did so with the active connivance of soldiers in uniform.

“Those who came to attack us were communicating with the soldiers with their torch lights. They would flash the soldiers and the soldiers would flash in return. I hid in the bush and saw all the signs they were giving,” she explained.
Some residents and indigenes see the presence of STF as a psychological trauma, especially to indigenes in the suburbs. Riding on the crest of massive support it has received from the state government, soldiers of the task force are being acclaimed as “sore on the throat” of the people of the state. Residents now place their trust in the police teams above the military.

The attacks, in the last couple of weeks, have been blamed on the state government’s handling of the situation. Many claimed that the state governor, Jonah David Jang, has not employed tact and diplomacy in the handling of the crises in the state, since he mounted the saddled nearly five years ago and that his utterances, after each crisis, had always inspired the youths to engage in more violence. There are also allegations of bias against him by the Hausa and Muslim communities. However, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Pastor Abraham Yiljap, rose in stout defence of the governor. According to him, the governor has always been consulting with the elders of the state and recalled the last stakeholders’ meeting where, he said, the governor handed the negotiation of the minimum wage issue over to the elders for solution.

“Let’s not politick with the welfare of our people. Let’s not politick with the security of our people. Let us draw the line between politics and governance. It is time for governance. And the government of Jang needs the support of every well-wisher inside and outside of Plateau State,” he says
Even then, the death toll keeps increasing. From a few drops, blood has since become the king of the economy of Plateau State since it started dropping in 2001. It seems it has become the most precious possession that has consigned hundreds of lives to the world beyond. It is the climax of what in years is trying to go into history books as Nigeria’s longest running crisis.

The death started with a huge figure in Dogonahawa. The number of deaths there was put at 500, although the police in Jos disputed the figure and put the number of those who died at 300. By January, the figure had hit 700. As further violence erupts, the figure gradually increased and the crises began to take central position in the decision making process. Plateau has never had it so bad. Like a bang, it came, not once, not twice but in a number of times. From Dogonahawa to Kurmin Janta, in Jos South Local Council, to Gada Biu and Ungwar Rukuba, both in Jos North Local Council, through Yelwa Shendam in Shendam Local Council, the stories are those of horror.

If the manner of killing is dastardly, then the way the corpses are disposed of poses a serious health hazard to the youths in the state.
“You will see how people are dealing with corpses; donning cap on severed heads; giving them names; calling it Malam Aminu. I am sure that is not Christianity,” says Alhaji Sani Mudi, spokesman of the Muslim community in Jos.
The Jammatul Nasril Islam (JNI) claimed it lost 22 persons in last Monday’s crisis, while the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) alleged that it lost over 50 of its members in the crisis.
Ekeocha of the STF blamed the Izala group for the crisis. “The Izala sect, on their own broke the arrangement we made. You know the Izala sect and others are not always on the same line. We are expecting the Eid prayer to be on Tuesday, all of a sudden some people decided to go on Monday,” he disclosed.

However, Alhaji Sani Mudi believes the story was more than a group breaking the arrangement. “Why will they be warned not to come there? How can I say because this is Masalachi Jummah street, COCIN should not go to their church nearby to worship? This is madness and irresponsible. These are madness we want to stop. It is not allowed even in the religion. Even during the Jihad years, the holy war years, it is a law that you do not burn places of worship. It is not allowed,” Sani fumed.
A source told Saturday Sun that the national chairman of Jamatul Izatul Bi’diah Waikamatul Sunna (JIBWIS), Sheikh Yahaya Jingre, had insisted that the sect had been using the site for over 30 years and that there was no reason they should be stopped this year. When the crisis erupted, some churches, especially those in the Muslim dominated areas, were torched. A pastor and his child were killed in the process.

Both sides agreed that the crisis could have been avoided if the Izala sect members had respected the security report warning them not to hold their prayer at the ground, in the light of the security challenges the state is facing.
The crisis lasted for more than three days with killings of people of opposite religion in places where they dominate. In Dogon Karfe area (Muslim-dominated) and Abattoir area (Christian-dominated), the crisis lasted up to the wee hours of Wednesday. By Thursday morning, four persons had died. The violence spread to Dutse Uku, where two people were killed and a member of the STF wounded. The situation forced many traders at Masalachi Jummah Street, a major electronics market, to move out their wares in order to save them from being burnt by Muslim youths.

Commissioner for information and communication has appealed to the people to give the Jang administration a chance to consolidate on the process of dialogue already started. He said: “The people of Plateau State want to live in peace. At the same time, we must work towards dialogue, sitting down, talking with one another, forgiving one another and making up our minds. We must ask one another for forgiveness and making up our minds as we also remember that we have had 10 years of bloodshed, 10 years of destruction.
“We must now make up our minds to move forward. Government is working at facilitating dialogue. It is not only dialogue between communities but also dialogue between the security agencies and the people. There will also be dialogue between government and the people. This is the real path to peace on the Plateau. The other path to peace is that all those who are really concerned about peace in Plateau State should support these peace efforts rather than speaking and raising tension in the land. Whatever our elders, leaders and politicians say should all be geared towards peace. We are on the path to recovery and total peace.”
Source: The sun newspaper