[size=14pt]Army, Airforce move into Jos[/size]
On September 14, 2011 · In Headlines , 
By Taye Obateru KINGSLEY OMONOBI, BEN AGANDE & DANIEL IDONOR

JOS—Following President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin to take over the security of Jos and stop the sectarian killings, Vanguard gathered yesterday that the Nigerian Airforce has already put on standby, a C-130 aircraft for the airlifting of troops from two Army Brigades, one from the South West and another from the North Central to complement soldiers on ground for the operation.

The General Officer Commanding ‘3’ Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Marwa, who only resumed duty last week has been summoned to Abuja for briefings concerning strategies to be employed towards implementing the presidential directive.

Also, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika as well as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar whose personnel and equipment would form the bulk of the deployments were said to be in marathon meetings for the better part of yesterday with their Principal Staff Officers, discussing operational implications of the President’s order.

Vanguard gathered that following the meetings, the Army High Command has directed the deployment of some armoured vehicles used for reconnaissance activities, advanced communications and night vision equipment as well as light combat attack vehicles to Jos for the operation.

Already, the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Markudi, Air Vice Marshal Odesola was said to have deployed some of the air surveillance aircraft in the command for surveillance activities to cover the long expanse of land and valleys where most of the attackers on both sides of the divide pass through to perpetrate havoc.

Meanwhile, indications have emerged that following investigations by bomb experts in the armed forces, most of the bombs used by the Boko Haram group and others for their attacks including that of Jos, are being manufactured or assembled locally.

This development came just as it was gathered that following this discovery, security agents are now combing parts of the country for those persons either trained by the military or the police but who would have retired from service, with the capability of assembling or building explosives.

While not ruling out that foreign technical assistance may have been obtained in the assemblage of some of the explosives used in some of the Boko Haram attacks like that of Force headquarters, a source told Vanguard that evidence collated on the UN house bombing, so far point to the fact that some locally made devices were put together to manufacture the explosives.

The source noted however that, “we are closing up on them as we have been able to unmask their modus operandi and their bases, and very soon Nigerians will hear the details of what has been happening”.

While refusing to give names of those suspected to be behind this group of people, the source said that “the planners of the attacks are very wealthy as the suicide attacks are capital intensive. Those who plan it buy brand new cars and settle the family of those to go on the suicide mission financially. So it is not something anybody can just dabble into without substantial reward”.

Giving an insight to the modus operandi of the group, the source said, “after any successful attack, they will study the security situation put in place and re-strategize. When they observe that tension is dying down and security arrangements have relaxed, they strike again. This intelligence is now available to the security agencies.

Residents hail Jonathan’s directive

Residents of Plateau State yesterday welcomed the directive by President Goodluck Jonathan that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petirin should take over the security of the state expressing hope that he would make a difference.

A cross section of residents who spoke yesterday said since previous measures such as the setting up of the Special Task Force (STF) have not solved the problem, they hoped he would come up with new strategies to solve the recurring crisis in the state.

A civil servant, Maiyaki Ishaku said the deployment of the CDS was an indication that the Federal Government was now taking the problem of Jos seriously.

“We do not know what the CDS will do to make a difference, but for the president to ask such a high-ranking officer to oversee the security of the state is an indication that the problem, for once, is being accorded serious attention. We can only hope and pray that his coming will bring the desired peace”, he said.

Acting President of Civil Society Coalition in the state, Dr. Tor Iorapuu also supported a change of strategy in tackling the security challenges as well as a review of the security arrangement.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition at a press briefing yesterday he said “the security saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property should be overhauled so as to weed out bad eggs that have brought disrepute to the task force.

“In Egypt, military officers who unleashed violence on protesters are being tried. The STF must court-martial all those that have been manipulated to have compromised the security of the state to restore public confidence”, he added.

Other residents who spoke, expressed similar sentiments stressing the need for Petirin to restore the confidence of the people in the security men as some of them have been accused of compromising in their duties.

Air Marshal Petirin is expected to take charge of security in the state anytime from now in accordance with the directive of the president.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/army-airforce-move-into-jos/

JOS—Following President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin to take over the security of Jos and stop the sectarian killings, Vanguard gathered yesterday that the Nigerian Airforce has already put on standby, a C-130 aircraft for the airlifting of troops from two Army Brigades, one from the South West and another from the North Central to complement soldiers on ground for the operation.

The General Officer Commanding ‘3’ Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Marwa, who only resumed duty last week has been summoned to Abuja for briefings concerning strategies to be employed towards implementing the presidential directive.

Also, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika as well as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar whose personnel and equipment would form the bulk of the deployments were said to be in marathon meetings for the better part of yesterday with their Principal Staff Officers, discussing operational implications of the President’s order.

Vanguard gathered that following the meetings, the Army High Command has directed the deployment of some armoured vehicles used for reconnaissance activities, advanced communications and night vision equipment as well as light combat attack vehicles to Jos for the operation.

Already, the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Markudi, Air Vice Marshal Odesola was said to have deployed some of the air surveillance aircraft in the command for surveillance activities to cover the long expanse of land and valleys where most of the attackers on both sides of the divide pass through to perpetrate havoc.

Damn! It almost sounds like war!

The "almighty" USA has been fighting this type of war for over 10 years in Iraq, and Afghanistan with ALL their might (and they are strong). But what is the result? No end in sight despite the unjustifiable fatalities (simply explained as collateral damage) and permanent damage to millions of lives. Now compare the sophistication, intelligence and resources of the US Army to Nigerian Police and Military combined.

Even today as I write this post, 50 naira is enough to bribe a police at a checkpoint and travel with a dead body or machine gun in your car. Or simply use intimidation, driving a brand new car, wearing designer suit and reading newspaper in the owners corner. It is the same with immigration officials at our borders, and all other security parastatals. This will continue because corruption and injustice starts from the top and flows all the way to the bottom so there is not really a way out.

By the way what is their mission? To go there and kill or capture "Fulani" and "Berom" trouble makers? However, if as I guess their mission is to scare people from going out to kill so that GEJ can write on his facebook page that he has solved the problem, then for how long will they be in Jos? Cant the "sophisticated terrorists" just hide or retreat until the soldiers are tired and leave then resume their activities? This is not too difficult to figure out.

Justice and Sincerity (in fight against corruption) is the ONLY solution to the Jos, Boko Haram, and all other crises in Nigeria. It is easy for someone to quickly dismiss this without thinking, but I am 100% convinced that the best route to success for any Nigerian President is to fight corruption with all his might. Nigeria is rich enough such that all her citizens have the basic things in life with hope for a better future. Poverty causes hardship, envy, anger, and hate, which all combine to make people terrorists (at different levels).

, anyway this is a welcomed development but if the don't eliminate those in the security forces that have been compromised, we might never pursue this directive to a logical conclusion
Also what has happened to the implementation of all they reports from the panels that have been set up since i was born?

Beaf:

Damn! It almost sounds like war!

it is good . if that's what it will take for those stubborn goats to get it that our peace and security is non negotiable.

The ingredients for a coup are now closer to Aso Rock.

All these while, were there no armed forces on the ground? I thought the JTF on the ground are mostly army officers.

OAM4J:

All these while, were there no armed forces on the ground? I thought the JTF on the ground are mostly army officers.

They are in jos and are they ones involve in some of the attacks, every time an attack is done people in military uniform are among they attackers, jos is in trouble, but God pass them!!!!!!

[size=16pt]All Nigeria Airforce needs when a killing or an incident has taken place anywhere around Plateau state is to scramble up an helicopter with "heat seeking cameras" it would detect any breathing living thing around the area where the dastardly and cowardly act has taken place no matter where they hide. Obviously by coordinaating with ground forces they should be able to apprehend the culprits.[/size]

real4life:

The "almighty" USA has been fighting this type of war for over 10 years in Iraq, and Afghanistan with ALL their might (and they are strong). But what is the result? No end in sight despite the unjustifiable fatalities (simply explained as collateral damage) and permanent damage to millions of lives. Now compare the sophistication, intelligence and resources of the US Army to Nigerian Police and Military combined.

Even today as I write this post, 50 naira is enough to bribe a police at a checkpoint and travel with a dead body or machine gun in your car. Or simply use intimidation, driving a brand new car, wearing designer suit and reading newspaper in the owners corner. It is the same with immigration officials at our borders, and all other security parastatals. This will continue because corruption and injustice starts from the top and flows all the way to the bottom so there is not really a way out.

By the way what is their mission? To go there and kill or capture "Fulani" and "Berom" trouble makers? However, if as I guess their mission is to scare people from going out to kill so that GEJ can write on his facebook page that he has solved the problem, then for how long will they be in Jos? Cant the "sophisticated terrorists" just hide or retreat until the soldiers are tired and leave then resume their activities? This is not too difficult to figure out.

Justice and Sincerity (in fight against corruption) is the ONLY solution to the Jos, Boko Haram, and all other crises in Nigeria. It is easy for someone to quickly dismiss this without thinking, but I am 100% convinced that the best route to success for any Nigerian President is to fight corruption with all his might. Nigeria is rich enough such that all her citizens have the basic things in life with hope for a better future. Poverty causes hardship, envy, anger, and hate, which all combine to make people terrorists (at different levels).

real4life wells said. below are some of my responses from an argument on facebook yesterday:

I agree with GEJ because you can counsel towards change but the ultimate power to change comes from a conscious effort by the individual himself/herself. Even in Iraq, Afghanistan with all the heavy high tech military presence where they are fighting something as serious as illegal occupation of territory bombs still go off! Thus Jos is not suprising, even though it's over something as childish as religion.

GEJ never he wasn't going to enforce the law and ensure justice, the point he's trying to make is that dealing with humans is not a matter of mathematics where adding 1 to 2 automatically leads to 3. No matter conditions on ground any body hell bent on a mission will do so with any means possible. Force can be used but more paramountly people must learn to take a chill pill and compromises reached to settle all disagreements.

my dear friend hope you realise that if we arrest every single person that has so far contravened the law till date that will still not bring Peace. Sustainable Peace is only achieved when we try to address the issues that make people go against their fellow humans in the first place. Economic issues in Jos, indigene-settler issues, minority rights (muslims), majority rule (christians).
Nonso religion over zealousness based on illogical faith is the cause of so many problems on earth. We would really do better with much more free thinkers. As the ability to discern right and wrong is innate in mind and you don't need a waste of man hours studying and engaging in bible and koran centric activities to know that.

Beaf

Roughly a year ago when this madness started in Jos - you mentioned GEJ was amassing 1000 army and police personnel to combat issues in Jos - What happened? - I hope this is not another misadventure. Effort should be diverted into gathering intelligence rather than fight fire for fire.

blacksta:

Beaf

Roughly a year ago when this madness started in Jos  - you mentioned GEJ was amassing 1000 army and police personnel to combat issues in Jos  -  What happened?  - I hope this is not another misadventure.  Effort should be diverted into  gathering intelligence rather than fight fire for fire.

Who will gather intelligence? Mopol or some other N20.00 collecting wizzkids? In the next few years, brute force and guile are the only solutions; that will continue until the police force has been retrained and refocussed.

if it is in constitution that every Nigeria have right to become elected president etc , their should also be constitution that will say all Nigerians should be entitle  to some certain amount of money every month ,this will solve billions of problem in Nigeria even at worst N1000/month for every body( i rest my case)******That land deal is real (closing 16-09-11)*****

This is a wrong turn,boko used hide and attack,they have no uniform,no based,they ard committed ghost how do you think the combine team of boys scout and chopper flying boys combat them,another waste of tax payers money,sent the visitors who want to metamorphose and share the inheritance and the proceed of the land with the righful owners.FULANIS should go they are the problem of jos.even in benue state

dear CDS,i will advise u to employ drone as one of your offensive weapon to combat frequent killing in jos.i think by now nigeria should be able to have at 3 for hazard operation.In order for this operation to work,let the drone do the job.

Beaf:

Who will gather intelligence? Mopol or some other N20.00 collecting wizzkids? In the next few years, brute force and guile are the only solutions; that will continue until the police force has been retrained and refocussed.

Its good to know that THE Retardeen knows about this. will like to know what he has done so far and presently doing to reverse this anomaly?
You mean the same force Yaradua used to solve the MEND wahala extensively then eh? No problem, we all will see. I for one dont believe so much in force. History (both inside and outside our dear country) has taught us such. The fundamental problem needs to be understood first and i doubt if the govt knows such.
In the absence of the corrupt policemen who wont me able to gather intelligence, what about other security agents like the SSS, DMI etc are they also handicapped or corrupt?

@trae_z. I totally agree with you. Nigeria will move in the right direction only when we humans in it decide to change for the best. The war against corruption will be won only when i and every other Nigeria decides not to enrich ourselves to the detriment of others and not by the President going after his brothers, sisters,uncles , aunts, political associates, business associates (how many people can he go after at a time). Although i suggest intimidation by punishing those accused, charged and convicted of corrupt practices BUT WHO WILL BELL THE CAT??

Almost everyone that has commented on this thread concerning Jos, knows nothing about the Jos situation beyond what they read in the papers. However those on ground who know the terrain have spoken:

Residents hail Jonathan’s directive

Residents of Plateau State yesterday welcomed the directive by President Goodluck Jonathan that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petirin should take over the security of the state expressing hope that he would make a difference.

Knowing the hilly terrain of the Plateau, it is just not having soldiers on ground that will counter the nightly raids going on around the outskirts of Jos. . .but the use of equipment such as those stated in the article:

Vanguard gathered that following the meetings, the Army High Command has directed the deployment of some armoured vehicles used for reconnaissance activities, advanced communications and night vision equipment as well as light combat attack vehicles to Jos for the operation.

Already, the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Markudi, Air Vice Marshal Odesola was said to have deployed some of the air surveillance aircraft in the command for surveillance activities to cover the long expanse of land and valleys where most of the attackers on both sides of the divide pass through to perpetrate havoc.

I find it especially gratifying to note the introduction of night vision equipment which will help towards tracking down the bands which operate during the night.

Having said that the government needs to do more to curb the cattle rustling which is going on between the Berom and Fulani on the outskirts of Jos and which is the root cause of the night raids and attacks. Also it must be noted that the problem of Jos North between the Hausa/Fulani settlers and the indigenous Berom/Afizere/Anaguta is not the same as that involving the Berom and Fulani on the outskirts of Jos in places like Heipang, Vom, Riyom, Barkin Ladi. . .but the nuances are often not reported in the media which tends to conflate the two. The first involves the expansionist and revisionist tendencies of the settler Hausa/Fulani to claim Jos as theirs while the second involves cases of cattle-stealing by both Berom and Fulani herdsmen.

CuteTj:

@trae_z. I totally agree with you. Nigeria will move in the right direction only when we humans in it decide to change for the best. The war against corruption will be won only when i and every other Nigeria decides not to enrich ourselves to the detriment of others and not by the President going after his brothers, sisters,uncles , aunts, political associates, business associates (how many people can he go after at a time). Although i suggest intimidation by punishing those accused, charged and convicted of corrupt practices BUT WHO WILL BELL THE CAT??

Exactly. My question. Why are Nigerians not attacking/killing their leaders that loot them? They can kill religion/tribalism. I don't understand.

The best solution is to remove any scintilla of security from dat region, and allow every group to fight for themselves. One day one group will capitulate to the other, and there'll be peace. Nwata fu ogu egboro egbo, ogu ana agu ya ka nri.

I'm not sure who's surprise in all these developments, I'm not. Can someone tell me one country on this earth with Muslim population that's peaceful. Islam is a violet religion.You can rationalize it any way you want, that's your own business and I understand what it mean to be politically correct. No one can be at peace with someone whose god wants you dead. God will win the war for those innocent people they're killing in Jesus name, Amen.

Only Army and Air force?

What of Navy, Road safety, LASTMA, Defence Corps, KAI, yellow fever, NYSC, man-o-war, boys scout?

See war!

warzone

Jos or Maidiguri?

Anywaz, I heard that the amry/airforce is compromised of 85% Northerners (rough estimation). Good luck with that.

The fulani herdsmen are responsible for the killings. The strike force should go their communities and wipe them away from the surface of the earth. Stupid CANNIBALS

@alethia. It seems ure aware of the situation in Jos. Most people that comment only react to what they read on the pages of newspapers. They have no knowledge of the true situation in jos. Early this year, almost all the soldiers in jos were transferred because some have been there for a long time & they were also accused of attacking the people they should be protecting. It was also noted that majority of the soldiers were northerners of hausa/fulani origin and also muslims and were accused of collaborating with the hausa/fulani/muslim to attack the native Plateau people(Note- native Plateau people are mainly christians) so therefore they were replaced with southerners. Im still worried with complaints against these new set of soldiers.