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Nigeria: 460 Killed in Jos Crisis

Cosmas Ekpunobi and Tony Ailemen Abuja21 January 2010
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Lagos — After four days of blood-letting, the death toll in the clashes between Muslim and Christian gangs in Jos, Plateau State, has risen to 460, according to a mosque official and human rights activists.

"We found more than 200 bodies gathered at the mosque in Kuru Gada Biu and 22 more at Mai Adiko," said Muhammad Tanko Shittu, a senior mosque official organising mass burials, who had earlier estimated the death toll among Muslims at 177.

Unites States (US) based Human Rights Watch (HRW) put the number of Christians dead at 65.

Official police figures were significantly lower with 35 people dead, 40 injured and 168 arrested since Sunday.

"More troops have come in and the situation is now under control. But there are still many hoodlums dressed in fake police and military outfits causing havoc," said Gregory Yenlong, spokesman for the Plateau State government.

Six military units and hundreds of police officers were stationed throughout the city to enforce the 24-hour curfew imposed on Wednesday by the state governor, Jonah Jang.

Apparently shocked by what he saw at the scene of the crisis, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ogbonna Onovo declared as devastating, the monumental destruction of properties in Bukuru town and environs.

He stated this while the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Abdulrahman Danbazau visited scenes of the crisis in Jos north local government. He pledged to provide the refugee camps with necessary immediate needs.

However, the state government, in consultation with the state security council, reviewed the 24-hour curfew to begin from 5pm and 10am each day.

This is as residents of Bukuru complained of the presence of "fake soldiers" who have been going from house-to-house killing and maiming Christians and other natives.

Meanwhile, Residents of Gyel and environs have appealed to the government to bring an end, the activities of fake soldiers who have continued to torment them even when they are obeying the curfew.

Reports have it that the fake soldiers have a base at the federal secretariat in Jos, where they disguise as real soldiers and enter the city wrecking havoc as they pleased.

One of the captured soldiers, who said he was a policeman, is now helping security personnel with useful information.

Meanwhile, renewed high level plot to remove Jang from office failed yesterday as Senate rejected a motion asking the presidency to declare another state of emergency in the crisis-ridden state,

But the Upper House however tasked the Plateau State government "to fish out the perpetrators and sponsors of this latest act of violence and bring them to book to serve as deterrent to others with similar tendencies."

Trouble started when Tafida Arugungu asked the Senate to invoke the relevant section of the 1999 Constitution to empower the President to impose an emergency rule on the troubled state.

Arugungu in his amendment to a substantive motion drawing the attention of the Senate to the renewed skirmishes in the state insisted that emergency rule was the only option for now to restore peace and order in the state.

His motion was quickly supported by other northern senators including the Chief Whip, Kanti Bello who alleged that there was clear evidence of break down of law and order in the state and that the only way forward was to declare a state of emergency.

Both spoke during a hot debate on a motion yesterday by Senator Gyang Dantong (Plateau State) drawing the attention of the lawmakers to the outbreak of fresh hostilities in Jos.

Senators were however, unanimous in agreeing that both the federal and state governments had failed to restore peace in the state.

Argungu in a proposed amendment to the motion however claimed that it was clear that the Plateau State government had failed to find lasting solution to the incessant crisis in Plateau State.

He prayed the Upper Legislative Chamber to quickly intervene through the declaration of a state of emergency.

But the Senate President, David Mark, in a remark that assuaged the feelings of some senators cautioned them not to rush to judgment about the performance of the state government using the crisis as a yardstick.

In his own contributions, Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya (Taraba State) said the cause of the crisis was the failure of the present crop of leaders to address issues of poverty in the Northern part of the country.

Senator James Manager (Delta State) said it was time for government at all levels to rise above mere debate and setting up committees to taking pragmatic steps to forestall crisis in the country.

He said: "We have to go beyond mere debates on the floors of lawmaking bodies. Where is the report of all the committees that were set up on previous crises in this country?"

Deputy Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said lack of political will to apprehend and punish culprits was responsible for the repetition of the crises in most parts of the country.

"It is too bad that this fresh crisis is coming at a time when we just debated the classification of Nigeria as a terrorist state by the US," he said.

Senator Ahmed Rufai Sani expressed the fear that if the crisis was not taken care of in good time, it would spread to other States.

Also yesterday, the Senate Mark announced that Nigeria had donated the sum of one million dollars to the people and government of Haiti to ameliorate the pains of the massive earthquake that ravaged that country.

Mark's announcement was sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw (Cross River State) which was accorded serious attention on the floor of the Senate.

He told Senators that the problem was that Nigeria did not do much publicity about the donation like other countries were doing.

The motion had asked for such donations but Mark quickly informed his colleagues that it was now belated because he had been informed by Vice President Good luck Jonathan that the sum of one million dollars had been donated by Nigeria.

Senators also agreed that each of them would voluntarily contribute money to be sent to Haiti for further assistance.

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Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, in his first use of executive power, ordered troops to Jos on Tuesday to restore order and prevent a repetition of clashes in November 2008.

President Umaru Yar'Adua, who has been in hospital in Saudi Arabia for nearly two months, has been briefed on the situation, Minister of State for Information and Communications, Ikra Bilbis said.

Jos University Teaching Hospital was forced to turn away some patients late Tuesday because doctors were too overwhelmed. "Ninety per cent of the casualties were from gunshot injuries with a few from knives and bows and arrows," said Dr. Dabit Joseph, who works at the hospital.

The Red Cross has 40 staff workers and several volunteers at seven centres in Jos to help thousands of displaced residents, an agency spokesman said.

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