Police avert fresh bloodbath in Jos

Posted by admin National Politics, Nigerian Police, Plateau, State News Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Tension heightened in Jos, Plateau State on Tuesday as youths mobilised to protest the killings of two of their colleagues by soldiers .

At Jenta Mangoro area of the city where one of killings took place, the police averted a bloodbath by dispersing the youths. But in Gada Biu, where the second killing allegedly occurred, violence broke out but no casualties was recorded.

Gada Biu is the scene of the Christmas eve multiple bomb blasts in which scores of residents were killed and others injured.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the state command, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, confirmed the Jenta Mangoro incident.

He said the soldier that killed one of the youths was arrested but did not confirm whether he was a member of the Special Task Force in the city or not.

Akano said that he pleaded with the youths to disperse with a promise to unravel the identity of the soldier.

He said, “We have a soldier in our custody at the moment. I met a group of youths from the direction of Jenta Adamu, who said they were marching to the Government House because soldiers had killed some of them.

“The youths were out to exercise their fundamental human rights and what they complained about is the activities of soldiers in their area.

“I addressed them and pleaded with them to go back. I told them that their presence could worsen tension in the city. I told them I will convey their message to the government.”

One of the youths said the soldier who killed the youth grew up in Angul Jos and was presently serving in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“He suddenly emerged overnight in Jos and started killing people in Angul Jos. We knew when he enlisted into the army,” he said.

When contacted, the STF spokesman , Captain Charles Ekeocha, said he was not aware of the arrest of the soldier nor his identity.

But he said that there was a misunderstanding between a soldier and a youth in Gada Biu, which resulted in a commotion.

He said, “Our soldiers have been very cautious in their dealings with the public, but they should also refrain from acts of provocation.

“A situation where youths will set up a barricade almost close to a an army checkpoint is clearly an act of provocation and such action is putting the lives of soldiers at risk.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council has said that the crises in Jos are lingering because of the inability of successive governments to identify and punish their perpetrators.

It, therefore, urged the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of the Solomon Lar panel on the crises as a way of restoring peace to the city.

The Co-Chairmen of NIREC, Ahaji Muhammadu Sa’ad, and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, addressed journalists on the crises in Lagos on Tuesday.

Sa‘ad, who is also the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said, ”These seemingly unending killings and violence in Jos must stop, especially now that NIREC is building up a new culture of tolerance, peace and unity among religious adherents in the country.

”The council calls on the relevant authorities to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act and bring them to book without further delay. This will serve as a deterrent to others who might be planning any of such devilish things in the future.”

Sa’ad also reiterated his earlier position that the crises were being masterminded by politicians for “selfish interest.” He added that the involvement of Muslims and Christians in the crises also gave the problem a religious colouration.

”I stand by my opinion and I don‘t have to mention names. We will help the President to find a solution to the crises. I believe that when we sit down and talk, we will find a solution,” he said.

Oritsejafor, who is also the President of Christian Association of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, said the problems in Jos had political and religious undertone.

He accused some politicians of instigating the crises in order to frustrate 2011 elections.

The NIREC co-chairman said, ”It is political but it has a very strong dose of religion. I believe there are politicians, who know the weakness of our people and who know how to manipulate them.

“In Maduguri, Borno State, a pastor and four elders of his church were killed. Also churches were burnt. It is difficult to separate religion from politics in the crises.”

Expressing concern that no one had been punished in the past for the crises, he advised the governments to send experts to the crises-prone areas of Jos to arrest those behind them.

He said, ”The moment someone is jailed we will see changes. People will then understand that they don‘t have the right to kill fellow human beings, burn down places of worship and think they can go scot-free. The government has the political will and they can do it.”

The group, which on Monday claimed responsibility for the attacks, Jama‘atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda‘Awati Wal Jihad, posted a video on its website on Tuesday.

In the video, its purported leader was shown reading from a text with a rifle beside him.

He said the group was falsely labeled Boko Haram and that it carried out the attacks in retaliation for acts of violence against Muslims in some parts of the country.wp_posts