The Council of Ulama (Islamic clerics) in Plateau State has disowned the claim by Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, the previously unknown group that took responsibility for the Christmas Eve multiple bombings in Jos.
Spokesman of the Ulama, Alhaji Sani Mudi, said in a telephone interview yesterday: “I don’t think it’s a credible group or that it has any link with an established Islamic organisation either in Jos or in Maiduguri.”


He said there were "a lot of things" wrong with the way the group worded their statement, especially the opening sentence.
Mudi said: “Though I’ve not been able to open the website, from what I saw in the newspaper I read, Muslims don’t start the greetings in the way the group was quoted by the papers.


“Muslims don’t say ‘In the name of God the mighty’ but would always say ‘In the Name of Allah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful’, and we don’t believe that the website is genuine. The opening sentence does not reflect something that is truly Islamic.”
He, however, said whether the website was genuine or not, the bombings were condemnable and irresponsible, adding: “We call on security agents and government to get to the root of the matter.”
Meanwhile, the website of the Islamic group – http://mansoorah.net – could not be accessed by last night as it had been closed abruptly.


But there was pandemonium in Jos yesterday following a clash between men of the Special Task Force (STF) and youths of Gada-Biu in Jos North Local Government area of the state following the alleged shooting of two youths by the STF.
Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has declared that the statement of the group was a confirmation that Boko Haram was responsible for the bombings.
They marched to the state Police Command chanting anti-STF songs and were later pacified by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulrahaman Akano, who pleaded with them to be calm as the police would look into their grievance.


Akano later told newsmen that a soldier was in the custody of the police but did not mention if he was one of those who shot at the youths.
Activities which were already picking up in Jos went down again as a result of the renewed pandemonium.
Speaking with THISDAY, the CAN Chairman for North-central, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said the statement of the “Jihad group” confirmed the speculation that Boko Haram was responsible for the explosions.


The cleric said the game plan of the perpetrators was to provoke the Christians to react in a negative and tempt them to fight the Muslims, so that there could be full scale crisis again in the state.
He appealed to "all the good people of the state and Nigeria" to condemn the current act of terrorism gradually gaining ground in the country, adding that the government should be alive to its responsibilities.


Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang has made a passionate appeal to leaders in the country to desist from making hasty comments about the Jos crisis, saying such comments were capable of reversing the already achieved peace and progress in the state.
Jang said those making such hasty comments about the unfortunate situation in the state might turn out to be the cause of the problems after the outcome of investigation, adding that there was the need by all to exercise restraint and be more progressive with their utterances.


He further appealed to the people of the state to eschew any act of violence, saying the state had had enough of such and needed a peaceful atmosphere to forge ahead and catch up with other developed states in the country.
He commended the security agencies in the state for containing the crisis, adding that their dedication to peace deserved commendation.
Also, the Deputy Governor of the state, Dame Pauline Tallen, through her campaign organisation has joined other dissenting voices in condemning the bomb blasts.
In Lagos yesterday, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, alleged that the Jos blasts were politically motivated.


The duo spoke at a world press conference under the aegis of Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) co-chaired by the two religious leaders.
Abubakar, who said he had evidence to affirm his opinion that the bombings were political, made references to an advertorial in a national daily where he said a group was accusing certain politicians of masterminding the violence.
“When I say it is political, I mean it,” the Sultan said, lamenting that it is wicked and cruel for some individuals to destroy other people's lives in their pursuit of selfish objectives.


“Why use human lives to achieve your goals?” he asked, saying he deliberately declined to mention names of suspects in the crisis as he appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to expedite action on suggestions made to him during the recent meeting of NIREC with him on how to find lasting peace and promptly proffer solution to the protracted crisis rocking Jos and Maiduguri.
He insisted that the crisis in the North is being masterminded by a few disgruntled elements whose ultimate drive is to create confusion and urged the Federal Government to decisively punish perpetrators of these heinous crimes. He said violence persists in the country because perpetrators always go unpunished.


“We have come together to ensure peace. Government must fish them out and deal with them whoever they are. If the government can be punishing people who do this thing, there will be a change. We must say the truth if we must get to the root of our problems in this country,” the Sultan said.
Echoing the Sultan, Oritsejafor said the Jos bombings were both political and religious, lamenting that some politicians exploit the weak points of the unsuspected masses to perpetrate dastardly acts in order to suit their selfish interests.
He said such politicians do so because they do not want this country to be established on a solid foundation and hence do all they could to make the country ungovernable.


He also insisted that punishing perpetrators of violence is the only act that could offer a lasting solution to this menace.
“What happened in Jos was definitely political but it has a strong dose of religious colouration. I believe that politicians know the weaknesses of our people. They know how to manipulate their beliefs and they know the part of the country where people react easily. Look at what happened in Maiduguri. A pastor was killed, churches were burnt and the gateman who resisted was killed. There are people who don’t want this country to stand firm as a nation. There are politicians who don’t want elections. They want to make Nigeria ungovernable, to complicate issues in this nation.  It is true that lives were lost, women were made widows and children made orphans.


“We are saying that the solution is not violence. I join His Eminence to speak to our government. When anybody kills, he has committed a crime. It is because people are not brought to book that this problem keeps occurring. We are asking our government to send experts and go and fish out people who are involved and bring them to justice. The moment somebody is jailed, you will begin to see a decline. You don’t take another person’s life and go free. You don’t burn worship places and properties and go free,” Oritsejafor said.
He accused the security agents of failing in what he described as intelligence gathering, adding that despite the fact that they had information about the recent violence in Maiduguri and Jos, they failed to do their job very well by investigating the information at their disposal with a view to averting the crises.


The CAN president for asked the Federal Government to increase the presence of security agents especially in Plateau State.
NIREC also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maximize the opportunity at its disposal to ensure the delivery of free and fair polls, saying never in Nigeria’s history have Nigerians “been unanimous about the stainlessness of INEC members as they are
presently constituted”

www.thisdayonline/info.

Muslims don’t say ‘In the name of God the mighty’ but would always say ‘In the Name of Allah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful’

hmm.