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Josh: When Mayhem Returned - Politics - Nairaland

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Josh: When Mayhem Returned by ify590: 6:11am On Oct 06, 2018
17 years ago when crisis broke out in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, residents thought they had seen the worst; little did they know that what happened then was just a flash in the pan compared to the recurring horror in the city. From September, 2001 to 2008, and between 2009 and 2010; the city witnessed unquantifiable destruction of lives and property. Concerted efforts by governments and stakeholders to arrest the cycle of violence which had polarized the city along religious and ethnic lines had brought a temporary reprieve but the new face of mayhem is the herders/farmers killings in the hinterlands which have left thousands dead and many more displaced. Apart from the twin bomb blasts in 2012 which claimed over 200 lives at the Terminus area of the city, residents of most communities in Jos North local government area had a break of almost eight years without any major crisis. But as they began to put the past behind them, the monster resurfaced penultimate Thursday night at the Rukuba road area of the city where some yet to be identified gunmen killed 15 people including a family of nine. The following day, major communities in the city were enveloped in tension. As people scampered for safety, hoodlums took advantage of the situation, killing yet to be ascertained number of people, vandalizing vehicles and looting some shops. As usual, the state government “lamented the situation”, declared “dusk to dawn curfew,” while the security agencies said they were “on top of the situation”. On his part, Jonah Jang, the Senator representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, through his Media Consultant, Clinton Garba called on the United Nations to “intervene in Nigeria and act on behalf of the poor, innocent and abandoned people of Plateau and their endangered kind in the Middle Belt to protect and guarantee them a future of longevity, pride and prosperity.” Unsuspecting residents then went about their businesses on Saturday and while Church services held on Sunday but hell broke loose before some Churches ended their meetings as calls started coming in that “the town was not good.” Residents hurriedly left whatever businesses they were doing and had to find their way home; while some made it home safely, others were not lucky as they were either attacked and killed or left injured. Places of worship, houses and other personal property were not spared as they were set on fire by the hoodlums. More so, as the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP were holding their gubernatorial primary elections that Sunday within the same vicinity, many people including this reporter who went to cover the events were stranded. Within a twinkle of an eye, sporadic gunshots rented the air sending fears down the spines of residents of Kyan Rikkos, Tina Junction, Jos Jarawa (aka Dutse Uku), Furaka, Yan-Trailer, Gondola, Angwan Rukuba, New Road, Nassarawa Gwong, Congo-Russia, Old Legislative Quarters, among others along the stretch of Bauchi Ring road. Farin Gada, Gada Biu, Chobe, Busa Buji, Apata and others were also not spared. Jos city was again returned to the dark days of crises. Frightened children tugged at adults’ clothes as they ran to perceived safe areas while security agents watched helplessly as armed hoodlums advanced to “enemy’s neighbourhood” causing havoc as they moved. At the time the situation was brought under control, residents were counting their losses. Many blamed the security agencies for not doing enough to protect the people as according to Timothy Umbugus who almost lost his life, “the soldiers abandoned us but gave support to the Hausa boys who tried to force their way to attack people at Bauci Ring Road.” According to him, “on Friday, some   youths took advantage of the tension which was a fallout of what happened at Rukuba road to attack and kill innocent passersby, destroying their vehicles. Christians were attacked at Gangare, Dilimi, Katako, Corner Shagari and other places. “On Saturday, people went for their businesses without any incident but on Sunday, we were in Church at Nassarawa Gwong when some Muslim youths came and said they would not allow Churches to conduct services since there was crisis on Friday, which was a day they also go to Mosque. “As they attempted to force their way into the Church, we tried to stop them and started alerting our members and other Churches about the development; before we knew what was happening, gunshots were heard all over. That means they really planned to attack Christians because no Mosque was burnt on Friday but ECWA Church Jos Jarawa was burnt. “Youths from other Churches were standing to defend the Churches from being burnt and between that Sunday and Monday; some houses belonging to Christians were burnt. We were throwing bottles and stones as they were advancing with their guns and as I climbed the fence of a house to haul the bottle, I came face to face with a Muslim youth who sold second hand wares in my neighbourhood. I was saved because another Christian youth behind me hauled his bottle at him before he could pull the trigger. I have been in shock from that moment till now that someone I know whom my sisters used to buy clothes from, was pointing a gun at me. Again, what baffled me was that these people who attacked us were not arrested but those who defended themselves and their property were the ones being arrested. I counted over 20 people who were shot by these people, we were only lucky that many of them who had the gun were not properly trained on how to handle it, they would have killed us in our hundreds.” Although relative calm has returned to the areas, businesses were yet to resume fully and people especially at the Muslim/Christian border areas who deserted their homes were yet to return for fear of further attacks. Meanwhile, Major General Augustine Agundu, Commander, Operation Safe Haven, OpSH, that is keeping the peace in the state attributed the recent incident to increase in cultism and consumption of hard substances stressing that, OpSH was working in collaboration with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA to ensure that where ever there were cult groups or hard substances, they would burst those areas and arrest those found culpable. Agundu who paraded 30 suspects allegedly connected to the crisis said the culprits had confessed to the crimes and called on residents to support the Operation at all times. He explained that a total of 72 persons were earlier arrested in all the areas they conducted operations during the civil unrest that erupted on Friday morning but having completed preliminary investigations, those who were not found to be involved had been released while the remaining suspects will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution. He added that two persons were killed in the incident with many houses, vehicles and places of worship set on fire around Naraguta, Dutse Uku, Tina Junction, Nasarawa Gwong.
http://mognews.com/2018/10/06/jos-when-mayhem-returned/
Re: Josh: When Mayhem Returned by Bizmagnet: 6:13am On Oct 06, 2018
This is seriously getting out of hand.


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Re: Josh: When Mayhem Returned by Obainoneandonly(m): 6:23am On Oct 06, 2018
the solution is total dissolution of the country and let everyone go their own way..they won't stop,not Now not tomorrow. it will continue

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