₦airaland Forum

Written by Ishola Micheal Friday, 11 March 2011

SOME Fulani men, on Thursday, completely burnt down Kuturu, Malanchi, Gongo, Gumel, Gital villages, all in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The reprisal attack carried out by the Fulani, who allegedly dressed in black, also left five people dead with many others seriously wounded.

This is coming barely two months after the last ethno-religious crisis in the local government area claimed many lives, which made the state governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, to threaten to relocate people living in the town in the event of another crisis.

Confirming the crisis in a telephone interview with newsmen while in Tafawa Balewa to assess the situation, Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Abdulkadir Mohammed Indabawa, said that he could not identify the corpses as they were burnt beyond recognition.

He added that as soon as their identities were known, they would be made public. However, he said that as of the time of this report only three dead bodies had been recovered.

The police commissioner also said that he got the report of the attack in the early hours of Thursday and he immediately sent his men, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations to the town to ensure that peace was restored and also protect life and property of innocent citizens of the area.

A source disclosed to newsmen that some people, numbering about 500, stormed the town at about 4.30 a.m. through the Bununu road, armed with dangerous weapons and set houses ablaze, a development that led to people running for dear lives.

The source added that the prompt response by the few security men stationed in the area averted what could have been another bloodletting as, according to him, the attackers were fully armed and ready to kill anybody that came their way. He commended all security agents in the state for acting promptly to avert the crisis, and called on Governor Yuguda to set machinery in motion in order to settle the problems once and for all, because, according to him, “we have had enough shedding of innocent blood in this area, government should act now as promised by the governor, enough is enough.”

In his account, the Secretary-General of Tafawa Balewa Development Association, Mallam Yunusa Ado, said, “the fresh violence started when unknown people burnt down three villages, – Gital, Jaja and Yamgam – which left hundreds of women and children homeless, since people could not go inside the area. We are now waiting for security agents to open the place so that we can go and assess the situation.”

The Secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross Society in Bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, said, “we didn’t enter Tafawa Balewa town; we are operating in Gontakurwa and Bununu villages, receiving displaced people that are still coming. Later, when we know their number and their needs we will brief you.”

In his reaction to the crisis, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Yuguda on Media Affairs, Sanusi Mohammed, dismissed the allegation that the government was responsible for the attack, saying the attackers came from a neighbouring state, with a mission to cause mayhem and misunderstanding in the area.

On the threat to relocate the area, Mohammed said that, “the government still stands by its statement to relocate the area if the problem persists. If the people do not want peace, they should leave the area and look for violence somewhere else.”

He, however, said that the situation was under control, pointing out that armed security men had already been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

It will be recalled that crisis erupted in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area on January 27, 2011, leaving 38 people dead while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. 25 suspects arrested are standing trial before a Bauchi Federal High Court.

The last crisis started at a snooker joint, following an argument between two youths, a development that led to the burning of the snooker joint by unknown persons.

Early last month, security operatives averted a reprisal attack in the area and the state government, as well as the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, held stakeholders’ meetings with the people of the area, stressing the need for them to allow peace to reign and live harmoniously with one another, irrespective of their ethnic and religious differences.

At the time of this new crisis, the committee set up by the state government to study and harmonise all the reports of previous crises in the area, headed by General Yakubu Sabo, was still sitting.


http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/18753-5-villages-burnt-5-killed-in-bauchi

An okada rider was set ablaze in Angulo-Jos along Jos-Bukuru express way today at about 11:00am with STF at site when the incident occur.
Many say the Hausas residing in that area pounce on the Okada rider (a Christian) killing him then setting him ablaze while the STF stand watching without taking any action.

Though calm has been restored in that area.

Muza:
Most people in this forum and even Nigeria in general do not understand the real problem in Jos, many rely on the one sided reports they read in newspapers.
Take Lagos for example, Its a yoruba town but there alot of Ibos,Hausas and ppl from several tribes that were born in Lagos,lived their whole life in Lagos and own very big businesses in Lagos, so do u think its fair for the yorubas to try to drive away the other tribes so as to take over their businesses,definitely NO.
The battle in Jos is for the economic power, anybody that has been to Jos before knows of Jos north, that is the economic heart beat of the state, the metropolis, and unfortunately for the beroms the hausa/fulanis dominate the place,they own most of the buildings,filling stations,shops,houses,car dealers, and so many other things,so the beroms want to find a way to drive away the hausa/fulanis so they can take over all these thing,ask your self,is this fair.
Many will ask,how did the Hausa/fulanis acquire this economic power, simple and clear to understand; Anybody that knows berom ppl will know that they are lazy and are drunks, while they were busy lazying about, drinking, gambling, bleeping. . .etc,the Hausa/fulanis were laboring in the hot sun investing wisely, and the investments paid off.
Thats why therez any crisis in Jos, the beroms have less to lose in terms of assets and properties, thats why they almost always start the crisis.
The political power of Jos belongs to the beroms,and the hausa/fulanis have accepted that,they are not doing anything to change that but why is it that the beroms want to reap where they did not sow,this is the problem of Jos.

Anybody that has been to or has stayed in just perfectly knows and understands what i'm talking about.

I thought this area is meant for suggestions and the way forward. It seems u 're looking at your own side in a positive way then looking at others as the negative. As for me hate to generalize people as the way you did. As for me I don't look at all Hausa/Fulani people as all bad same goes to the beroms even the Ibos, Yorubas etc. The Beroms, Igbos, Yoruba, Hausa, etc all benefit from each other.  

As for the Business, I think I disagree with you because Jos has a lot of Igbos, Idomas, TIV, Yorubas too. I remember last month when the Igbos closed their businesses for a economy was paralyzed within that period. I equally would agree that the Hausa some time closed their business too, the economy went bad.

As for the Berom, I still disagree with you that they all lazy and drunk. I remember when things where good, some Hausa purchase items from their farms, like cabbage, Irish potatoes, cucumber, green bean etc  sale them in large quantity to south and eastern part of Nigeria. Building-Material along Jos-Bukuru express way is where the purchases take place. Barkin-Ladi is another. Please is there any incident or instances where the Berom man entered Bauchi road or terminus and burnt your market, filling station etc. Do you have any fact to prove that it is the Berom man, or even the Igbo man, Yoruba Man.

As for Domination, Angwa Rukuba, Zaria road, Farin Gada, Gada biu, Apata, Alheri, Jenta, Tina Junction, Tafabalewa road, Church street, Langtang street, Rwang pam street, Zoo area, Busa bugee etc are not more 0.5% occupied, business domination by the Hausa or Fulani and all these areas I've mention are in Jos-North.

My brother, there is no need pushing blames rather let us look for the way forward.

Yoruba Muslim would not make trouble with his host community but the Hausa/Fulani, ma guy them go chop your head when they quote one area of their Quo' ran wrongly.
Yoruba Muslims can tolerate other religions in the same family, nut the Hausa/fulani man would send you send you to your grave immediately if you belong to another.
Check the recent happenings in Nigeria, they feel that Nigeria is their birth rite.

Hausa/Fulani need to change the way they think for peace to reign.

Who do you prefer?

No any other tribe is complaining even the Indigenous Muslims are not complain. If Hausa are not happy with the government policies, then let them go back to their various state of origin. I don't understand why some other element would always bring the progress of a state backward and even the country at large.

Many innocent Hausa are at disadvantage while Big baboons of same Hausa/Fulani are thinking of their selfish interest. I met some helpless Innocent Hausa guys and were complaining that business is not moving for them as usual because the Christians no longer patronize them again. They wish that peace should return fast.

History has proven that the Hausa/Fulani has no root in Jos soil. Let all the Hausa/Fulani accept the truth and respect their host communities just as the other tribes have being doing.Let the host communities equal respect them too the way they have been doing in the past and there will be a permanent peace in Plateau State.

Human Right watch observations

Inter-communal violence has affected many parts of Nigeria before and since the end of military rule in 1999. Most of these conflicts were originally very localized. Some of these groups have fought each other for decades for control of land, economic resources and political positions. Central to many of these disputes, as explained below, is the notion of indigeneship which has pitted groups who consider themselves the indigenes or the first inhabitants of an area, against those viewed as settlers. Large-scale inter-communal violence is a more recent phenomenon in Plateau state than in some other parts of Nigeria. There had been long-standing grievances between differient communities for several decades, but it was not until 2001 that people began turning to organized violence.

from: Revenge in the Name of Religion:Cycle of Violence in Plateau and Kano states published in 2005


[size=8pt]The Hausas should accept the truth (they are not owners of Jos) and respect the customs and traditions of their host communities, like the way Igbos and Yorubas do. The host respect the tradition and customs of the settlers too.[/size]

To have a lasting peace in this country, the Fulani herdsmen should go back to their state of origin and graze their animals there.

Animals, they have no respect for life!

10 die as suspected Fulani herdsmen invade Benue community
Thursday, 10 February 2011 00:00 From Simeon Nwakaudu, Makurdi News - National
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NO fewer than 10 persons have been reported dead after armed Fulani herdsmen invaded Tyotegh council ward in Gwer-West Local Council of Benue State to carry out reprisal attacks in retaliation of their cattle allegedly killed by indigenes of the area.

The rampaging herdsmen, who rode on horses and motorcycles, were said to have arrived in Tyotegh Village on Monday night shooting at residents and torching their homes.

The herdsmen allegedly torched more than 25 homes and displaced over 3,000 persons in the community.
The Guardian learnt that some villagers had killed the cattle of some herdsmen after the owners led them into the indigenes’ farmlands. The herdsmen fled the community last week only to mobilise for the mass attack.

The conflict has spread to Mbakyondo Village in Makurdi, where the suspected Fulani herdsmen also invaded the community and killed two farmers in the process. Hundreds of residents of Mbakyondo have fled to Adeke Village, five kilometres from Makurdi town for refuge.

Commenting on the crisis, Security Adviser to the Benue State Governor, Col. Basil Kwembe, confirmed the killings and burning of homes of the Tiv farmers.

He appealed to the victims of the invasion to remain calm, saying that the state government had mobilised the police to provide security in the affected areas.

Kwembe said the state government would compensate all the victims.
Chairman of Gwer-West Local Council, Andrew Ayande, said the council would alleviate the suffering of the victims.

When contacted, the state Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Mohammed, said he could confirm five deaths so far, but added that the casualty figure could be higher. He added that a detachment of mobile policemen had been deployed in the area.

Meanwhile, a mobile policeman at Kanshio suburb of Makurdi on Wednesday killed one Aondowase Anngu after a disagreement.

The policeman was allegedly trespassing on the home of Anngu and was stopped by the deceased. He left the scene only to return wearing his uniform and armed with a pistol, which he allegedly used in killing Anngu.have started protesting the killing.

Mohammed said he was yet to get the details of the police killing and promised to make public his findings soon.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38094:10-die-as-suspected-fulani-herdsmen-invade-benue-community&catid=1:national&Itemid=559#comments

What Ahmadu Bello said 12 days after independence - the onus proband Topic List < Prev Topic | Next Topic >
Reply < Prev Message | Next Message >
--- On Mon, 8/3/09, Batokkinc@, <Batokkinc@, > wrote:

Ever since I posted the statement attributed to Ahmadu Bello, the pundits have
gone to town, providing half baked proofs and downright unbelievable
statements. This coming from people I expected to at least ask for the onus
probandi before declaring to the whole internet world that the magazine or
newspaper in question never existed, even though some of them were or may be
toddlers in 1960. Such is the Nigerian know-it- all mentality that has led us
as a nation to where we are today.
Some were even bold to declare,
"
If it had not been unearthed by veteran historians who have written extensively
about Nigerian politics, I can assure you that the duo of Bolaji Aluko and Nowa
Omoigui along with some other researchers on Nigerian issues would have
unearthed this information. "

Such is our penchant for sweeping generalizations as subtitutes for getting down
to sift the wheat from the chaff. And damned be anybody who disagrees with us.

This saying credited to Sir Ahmadu Bello was got from Banji Akintoye's essay
contribution titled "Fundamental Essentials of the Awolowo Heritage" on page 141
of the book, Awo: on the trail of a titan.
Its is in Chapter 8, under Part II: subtitled "Obafemi Awolowo's Legacy for
Nigeria.

[, The result was that the Northern Hausa-Fulani leadership, thus assured
of British support before and after independence, came to regard itself as the
dominant force in Nigera, and proceeded to assume the power and arrogance of
dominance. For instance, on October 12, 1960 (about 12 days after Nigeria became
independent) , a local newspaper in the North (The Parrot) reported Sir Ahmadu
Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region, as saying:


"The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather,
Uthman dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the
minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South as conquered territory
and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control of
their future."


This statement is sure to shock every Nigerian who is not of Hausa-Fulani ethnic
stock, but in fact, there have been many similar statements from time to time
from members of the same ethnic group, ]

*Banji Akintoye, Professor of History for many years at the University of Ife
(later, Obafemi Awolowo University), was UPN Senator for Ondo Central Senatorial
District (1979-83) and National Assistant Secretary of the Unity Party of
Nigeria, from the formation of the party until the military takeover of December
1983. He is currently retired and living in Philadelphia.

Is anyone saying Prof Akintoye doesn't know what he's saying? I await with
bated breath, the promised $1000 by Dr. Ola Kassim.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yorubaworld/message/2547

What Ahmadu Bello said 12 days after independence - the onus proband Topic List < Prev Topic | Next Topic >
Reply < Prev Message | Next Message >
--- On Mon, 8/3/09, Batokkinc@, <Batokkinc@, > wrote:

Ever since I posted the statement attributed to Ahmadu Bello, the pundits have
gone to town, providing half baked proofs and downright unbelievable
statements. This coming from people I expected to at least ask for the onus
probandi before declaring to the whole internet world that the magazine or
newspaper in question never existed, even though some of them were or may be
toddlers in 1960. Such is the Nigerian know-it- all mentality that has led us
as a nation to where we are today.
Some were even bold to declare,
"
If it had not been unearthed by veteran historians who have written extensively
about Nigerian politics, I can assure you that the duo of Bolaji Aluko and Nowa
Omoigui along with some other researchers on Nigerian issues would have
unearthed this information. "

Such is our penchant for sweeping generalizations as subtitutes for getting down
to sift the wheat from the chaff. And damned be anybody who disagrees with us.

This saying credited to Sir Ahmadu Bello was got from Banji Akintoye's essay
contribution titled "Fundamental Essentials of the Awolowo Heritage" on page 141
of the book, Awo: on the trail of a titan.
Its is in Chapter 8, under Part II: subtitled "Obafemi Awolowo's Legacy for
Nigeria.

[, The result was that the Northern Hausa-Fulani leadership, thus assured
of British support before and after independence, came to regard itself as the
dominant force in Nigera, and proceeded to assume the power and arrogance of
dominance. For instance, on October 12, 1960 (about 12 days after Nigeria became
independent) , a local newspaper in the North (The Parrot) reported Sir Ahmadu
Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region, as saying:


"The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather,
Uthman dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the
minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South as conquered territory
and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control of
their future."


This statement is sure to shock every Nigerian who is not of Hausa-Fulani ethnic
stock, but in fact, there have been many similar statements from time to time
from members of the same ethnic group, ]

*Banji Akintoye, Professor of History for many years at the University of Ife
(later, Obafemi Awolowo University), was UPN Senator for Ondo Central Senatorial
District (1979-83) and National Assistant Secretary of the Unity Party of
Nigeria, from the formation of the party until the military takeover of December
1983. He is currently retired and living in Philadelphia.

Is anyone saying Prof Akintoye doesn't know what he's saying? I await with
bated breath, the promised $1000 by Dr. Ola Kassim.

Indonesia: Angry Muslim crowd attacks Java churches
Burning vehicles at the Christian Pentecostal Church in Temanggung Two churches were set on fire and a third was damaged in Temanggung, central Java
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

* Jakarta pressured over sect kills
* Indonesia religious tensions sparks violence
* Indonesia country profile

More than 1,000 Muslim protesters have stormed a courthouse and burned two churches in central Java, Indonesia.

The attacks in Temanggung happened after a Christian man was sentenced to five years in jail for distributing leaflets deemed insulting to Islam.

Indonesian police said the crowd considered the sentence too lenient and were demanding the death penalty.

The incident came two days after Muslim villagers in western Java killed three members of a minority Islamic sect.

A police spokesman told the BBC that the angry crowd began attacking the court building in Temanggung after the verdict was read out.

The violence spread to surrounding neighbourhoods where two churches were set on fire and a third was damaged.

Police fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowds.
'Extremist groups'

In a separate development, a video has emerged of Sunday's deadly attack on members of the minority Ahmadiyah Muslim sect.

The footage apparently show how a group of about 20 men were forced by an angry crowd to strip before they were beaten so violently that several died.

The Ahmadiyah sect has been labelled by the government as deviant, but is not banned.

A body which advises the US government on religious freedom has said Indonesia must act against "extremist" attacks.

"Indonesia is a tolerant county that should be more intolerant of extremist groups. It's time the Indonesian government brings them to account for the violence and hatred they spread," said Leonard Leo, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population but it is a secular nation.

International human rights groups say more hardline fringe groups have been harassing religious minorities in recent years. The Indonesian president has been criticised for not doing enough to protect the rights of all citizens.

The writer to this report must be a Hausa man, or a Hausa friend adding some issues of the Christians to look um-bias to the reader.

Killing a Child means you have killed a Nation

Nigeria: New Wave of Violence Leaves 200 Dead
Government Should Urgently Protect Civilians, Invite UN Expert to Jos
January 27, 2011

People gather to pray at a mass grave for the victims of sectarian violence in Jos, the capital of Plateau State in central Nigeria.
© 2010 Reuters


Related Materials:
Nigeria: Investigate Massacre, Step Up Patrols
Arbitrary Killings by Security Forces
“They Do Not Own This Place”

More Coverage:
More Reporting on Nigeria


These waves of senseless killings risk spreading and have taken a terrible toll on the people of Plateau State. The state and federal governments should urgently enlist anyone who can help break this cycle of violence, including Mr. Deng.

Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch

(Dakar) - A deadly spate of sectarian violence in Nigeria's central Plateau State since December 24, 2010, has killed more than 200 people, Human Rights Watch said today. The victims, including children, have been hacked to death, burned alive, "disappeared," or dragged off buses and murdered in tit-for-tat killings.

The Nigerian government should act swiftly to protect civilians of all ethnicities at risk of further attacks or reprisal killings, and allow the United Nations secretary-general's special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Francis Deng, to visit the state, Human Rights Watch said.

"These waves of senseless killings risk spreading and have taken a terrible toll on the people of Plateau State," said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The state and federal governments should urgently enlist anyone who can help break this cycle of violence, including Mr. Deng."

The most recent round of violence and reprisal killings was sparked by a series of bomb blasts on Christmas Eve in two Christian communities in Jos, the state capital. Since then, dozens of Muslims and Christians alike have been targeted and killed, often in horrific circumstances, based simply on their ethnic or religious identity. These latest deadly outbreaks follow a year of inter-communal bloodletting in 2010 that left at least 1,000 dead in the state.

In September 2010, Deng formally requested approval from the Nigerian government to visit Jos in October to help community leaders devise measures to reduce the risk of an escalation in the violence. The Nigerian government has not formally replied or authorized the mission.

Targeted and Reprisal Killings
The Christmas Eve explosions, which ripped through two Christian neighborhoods in Jos, and several days of sectarian clashes that followed the bomb attacks, left at least 107 dead, according to Christian and Muslim community leaders in Jos. A militant Islamist website published a statement by Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group in northern Nigeria, claiming responsibility. There has been no independent confirmation of this claim.

The targeted killings and tit-for-tat violence escalated further in January 2011. Eight Muslim youth in a car heading to a wedding were attacked on January 7 after they took a wrong turn and ended up in a Christian village in Barkin Ladi. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the following day the Nigerian army exhumed and returned to their families the corpses of five of them from shallow graves near the village. The three others remain missing.

The following morning, January 8, Muslim youth in Jos indiscriminately attacked Christians, mostly ethnic Igbo market traders, around the Dilimi market and along Bauchi Road. Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that the victims were hacked to death with machetes and cutlasses or burned alive by the mob. Igbo leaders said that 48 Igbo civilians were killed in the attacks, while a health worker at the nearby Bingham University Teaching Hospital confirmed that 18 corpses arrived in the morgue on January 8.

Later that day, at least 14 Muslims were killed by mobs in Christian neighborhoods in Jos and surrounding communities. A passenger on an interstate bus to Jos on January 8 told Human Rights Watch that Muslim passengers were separated from Christian passengers and hacked to death. Four of the passengers were killed at a makeshift roadblock manned by a Christian mob in Ratsat, south of Jos, while two others were killed when the bus arrived at the Gada Biu bus terminus in Jos itself.

Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that two days later, on January 10, gunmen attacked Wareng village, a Christian community south of Jos, burning homes and killing residents. Four women and seven children were killed in the attack.

Muslim and Christian leaders in Jos told Human Rights Watch that they also knew of dozens of disappearances. They said that, in the past month, 42 Muslims, mostly motorcycle taxi operators in Jos, have been reported missing, while more than 51 Christians have still not been accounted for.

"This terrible cycle of violence and impunity needs to stop," Dufka said. "Both the state and federal governments have shown a disturbing lack of urgency in addressing the violence and tackling the underlying causes of these deadly outbreaks."

The federal and Plateau State governments should take concrete steps to break the cycle of violence by ending discriminatory state and local government policies that fuel inter-communal tensions, providing adequate protection for vulnerable communities, and ensuring a speedy and effective investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of the violence, Human Rights Watch said.

Origins of the Crisis
Plateau State is in an area of central Nigeria known as the Middle Belt that divides the predominately Muslim north from the largely Christian south. Local political elites have long battled for power and control of limited resources and have stoked religious tensions to those ends. Widespread poverty and unemployment, fueled by endemic government corruption and mismanagement, have created an explosive social mix as competition intensifies for scarce opportunities to secure government jobs, education, and political patronage.

These tensions have been exacerbated by state and local government policies that discriminate against members of ethnic groups classified as "non-indigene" - those who cannot trace their ancestry to what are said to be the original inhabitants of an area. Non-indigenes, in Plateau State and elsewhere, are openly denied the right to compete for state and local government jobs and are subject to discriminatory admissions policies at state-run universities, denying them important avenues of socio-economic mobility. Discriminatory government policies have effectively relegated thousands of Plateau State residents to permanent second-class status.

Religious and ethnic identity often overlap in Nigeria. The main actors in the deadly struggle for power and resources in Jos have been the Hausa-Fulani and the Berom ethnic groups. The Hausa-Fulani, the vast majority Muslim, are the largest ethnic group in northern Nigeria. They are classified as non-indigenes in Jos, though many are from families that have been there for several generations. The Berom, predominately Christian, along with the Anaguta and Afizere ethnic groups, are designated indigenes.

A Decade of Suffering
In the past decade, more than 3,800 people have been killed in inter-communal violence in Plateau State, including as many as 1,000 in 2001 in Jos and more than 75 Christians and at least 700 Muslims in 2004 in Yelwa, southern Plateau State. In November 2008, two days of inter-communal clashes following local government elections in Jos left at least 700 dead.

In January 2010, several hundred people were killed in sectarian clashes in and around Jos, including a massacre on January 19 of more than 150 Muslims in the nearby town of Kuru Karama. On March 7, at least 200 Christians were massacred in Dogo Nahawa and several nearby villages. Over the next nine months, more than 120 people died in smaller-scale attacks and reprisal killings leading up to the Christmas Eve bombings and renewed sectarian clashes.

Inter-communal violence in Plateau State and northern Nigeria has a history of spreading to other regions. Following the 2004 violence in Yelwa, reprisal killings in Kano State left 200 Christians dead. Muslim attacks against Christians in the northern city of Maiduguri in 2006 led to reprisal killings of more than 80 Muslims in eastern Nigeria.

Members of the security forces have also been implicated in serious abuses. In November 2008, Human Rights Watch documented 133 cases of unlawful killings by the federal police and army sent to Jos to quell the sectarian violence. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that, on January 10, 2011, at least one soldier was seen participating in the attack on Wareng village, which left 15 Christians dead.

Unbroken Cycle of Violence
The federal and Plateau State governments have not only failed to tackle the root socio-economic causes of the violence, they have also failed to break the cycle of killings by holding those responsible to account. In all but a handful of cases - 17 Hausa-Fulani men were convicted by the Federal High Court in Jos in December 2010 - the perpetrators have not been brought to justice. In the absence of effective redress through the courts, communities that have suffered violence frequently resort to vigilante justice and exact revenge by inflicting commensurate harm on innocent members of the other community.

Over the years, the federal and Plateau State governments have set up various committees and commissions of inquiry that have examined these issues, but the reports from these bodies, and the occasional government white paper, have mostly been shelved. Despite repeated outbreaks of violence, the government has largely ignored the findings and failed to implement the recommendations.

The federal government, however, has taken some steps to beef up security in Jos and surrounding communities since early 2010. While the military presence has had some effect in deterring and responding to attacks, the underlying causes of the reoccurring outbreaks of violence remain.

Witness Accounts
A Hausa-Fulani driver described to Human Rights Watch how the eight members of a Muslim wedding party were attacked on January 7 after they took a wrong turn leading to a Berom village south of Jos:
At around 4 p.m. on our way to a wedding in Mangu two of the cars took a wrong turn in Barkin Ladi local government area. The first car, a small Mazda, contained eight people. I was driving the second car. We were all Hausa-Fulani from Jos. The other car was ahead of us. I stopped to ask for directions. We were near Dorawa-Tsohuwa village, a Berom community. When I stopped, some people surrounded the car. There were three people on a motorcycle behind us and four people came out of the bush, two on each side. I am thinking they will tell us the actual direction. We were talking with them in Hausa but they were conversing in Berom language. They said we should come down [from the car] and they were calling others on their phones. I realized that something was going to happen and slammed down the throttle. The two in front of the car stepped aside and we escaped from the danger. I called Jamilu, who was in the first vehicle. Jamilu's mother is the senior sister of the groom. He told me: ‘We have been surrounded by people. They killed two of us. Me, I am running. They want to kill me.' I heard the sound of something crash and the phone went off. I called him again but the phone was off.

We went back to Mangu and informed the soldiers what happened. They sent a lieutenant and 10 soldiers in a Hilux [pickup truck] back to the village. They allowed me to come because I knew the exact place where we stopped. We went back but did not see any corpses. The next day we went back again with the security. We entered Dorawa village but the people did not talk. Some of them ran and the soldiers caught two of them. One of them said he was coming back from Barkin Ladi and saw people burying something but he didn't know what. The security went to the place and found a hole used to explore tin. The security digged and found the corpses of five people. I saw the corpses. Jamilu was among them. They had cut the necks of three, one they broke his head, the other they cut his body and removed his penis. The soldiers took the corpses to the air force base. Up until now the three other corpses have not been found.

An Igbo pharmacy technician described to Human Rights Watch how he was attacked by a Hausa-Fulani mob on January 8 in Jos:
On the 8th of January, some minutes to 11 a.m., I was on my way in a taxi to Terminus Market on Bauchi Road. I saw people block the road. They were beating and burning people. I saw them burn two people. I opened the door of the vehicle to get out. I was wearing a suit. One Hausa man ran across the road and said, ‘Let us kill this unbeliever.' There was nowhere I could go. They rushed me and beat me with machetes and cutlasses. I defended myself with my hands but I got weak and fell down. After that they sliced my head and they used a dagger to stab me in the rectum. When they were satisfied with the bleeding they said I was dead. They then dragged me to the Bauchi Road bridge and threw me over it. There is no water there in the dry season and I landed on the ground. The Hausa came in groups and looked at my corpse. When they would come I would seize my breath. They thought I was dead. I cried in my mind ‘Jesus, Jesus, save me.' My body had no life but my mind was very strong. I did this for three hours. The soldiers came around 2 o'clock. I opened one of my eyes and said to them, ‘Kindly help me.' The soldiers said, ‘This man is not dead.' One of the young soldiers jumped down, picked me up and took me to hospital. I was cut all over my body. My right hand was shattered. My head was cut around six places. They stabbed me in my anus. My stomach was all scraped up. I went to theater [for surgery] four times. They operated on my hand, but I cannot use it for anything now.

An Igbo shop owner in Jos described to Human Rights Watch how eight men were killed in Jos on January 8:
My shop is in Dilimi, a Muslim area. I deal in electrical parts. I was in my shop around 11 a.m.-12 p.m., when I saw about 40 Muslim youths coming with machetes, daggers, and firewood. There was a man in a Plateau State government vehicle with his son. He was buying from the boys selling clothes in front of my shop. I don't know whether he was Berom but he was a Plateau man. He looked back and saw them break the glass on the car. He said they should stop. He didn't know there were so many of them. They hit him with a plank and then set him on fire. His son ran away.

I ran to my neighbor's shop. He is a Hausa man, a Muslim. He protected me. I stayed in his shop one hour. I was seeing everything that was happening outside. They [the Muslim youth] were chasing everyone who was a Christian. I saw them dragging people. They were going with fuel and machetes. I didn't see any guns. They blocked everywhere you could run. Some [of the Christians] had blood on their bodies and were running.

I saw them gather four people together and burn them. They smashed their legs and dropped them together, and then put them on fire in the street. I saw them kill two people inside a jeep. They didn't allow the men to get out. They broke the glass and poured fuel on them. One was an Igbo man. I know his shop. They killed another man across the main road. I saw them roast the body. I saw eight people killed that day.

Around 1:30 p.m. the army come and rescued us. Others that hid themselves came out as well. There were almost 20 or 30 other Christians. The soldiers walked us to the boundary dividing the Muslim and Christian area.

A Muslim passenger traveling on an interstate bus on January 8 described to Human Rights Watch how the Muslim passengers were separated from the Christian passengers and killed:
On January 8, around 2 p.m., I boarded a bus in Lafia, Nassarawa State. It was a Marcopolo bus carrying 64 passengers. At around 6 o'clock [that evening] we were stopped by a roadblock in Ratsat in Jos South [local government area]. The people put a tree and stones in the road. There were about 200 people - men, women, and children. They were Berom. They told us to all come down from the bus and asked, ‘Where are the Muslims?' They identified four Muslims because they were wearing kaftans [traditional Muslim dress] and asked them where they were coming from. They said they were coming from Lagos. The crowd then started beating them. The people on the bus were all crying that they should leave them. They first beat them with sticks then used their daggers and machetes and killed them. They threw their bodies in the bushes. The driver told us to enter the bus and that we should go, so we left the corpses there. Four of us Muslims survived - two men and two women. We didn't identity ourselves as Muslims.

I was afraid but the Christians on the bus told us not to be afraid and advised us not to talk. They told us we should identify ourselves as Christians. From there, there were heavy [military] checkpoints on the way. At one point we didn't move for almost three hours. The driver tried to tell the military what had happened but the soldiers told the driver to ‘go, go, go.' They didn't want to hear anything.

Around 11 p.m., we reached the bus terminus at Gada Biu in Jos. As we came down from the bus a group of people surrounded us. They said, ‘Where are you coming from?' They divided the Muslim passengers from the Christian passengers based on the mode of dress. I was wearing jeans and t-shirt. They asked me my name. I said my name was Daniel. They asked me to pray in Christian and I prayed. I had attended mission school so I knew how to pray. I said, ‘In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.' They then said I should tell them the story of John the Baptist. I said I know the story but that I didn't remember it. I told them I could tell them the story of Jesus Christ. They said ok and said I should step aside. That is how I escaped.

The group that surrounded us took the two Muslim passengers wearing kaftans to one side. They were a Fulani man and woman on their way to Gombe [State]. The other Muslim woman on the bus was wearing a jacket because it was cold and they didn't confirm she was Muslim. I just kept quiet and was watching them. The men then hit the two Muslims with machetes, cutlasses, and daggers. They killed them there in the terminus. The other passengers were running. After they were finished, the soldiers came in their vehicle and the group ran away.

A Berom man in Wareng, a Christian village south of Jos, described to Human Rights Watch how armed men, including at least one soldier, attacked the village on January 10, killing 15 people:
At around 11:30 p.m., I heard shooting of guns. I didn't know what to do. The attackers were many. They were speaking Fulani. They came to my house and broke the door. As they entered the house they were shooting. I hid in the second room. They entered inside but didn't find me. It was God that hid me. One of the attackers was a soldier man. I saw him as he passed by my window. He was wearing the new uniform of the soldiers - not the green uniform but the brown uniform. Later when we were looking around we saw an ID card of a soldier on the ground. Our councilor reported it to the chairman of the local government.

Fifteen people were killed in the attack: four men, four women, and seven children. Thirteen people died that day, two died later at the hospital. The men were killed with gunshot. They killed the women and children with knives. One of the babies died from the smoke when they burned the house. My brother and his wife and two of their children were killed. Their third child was cut on his head. I took the boy that very night to the hospital. They sewed his head and now it is better. I will try to take care of him if I am alive.

No state of emergency in Plateau- Jonathan

Tuesday, 01 February 2011 00:00 Austine Odo, with agency report

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President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said declaration of a state of emergency is not the solution to the Jos crisis. Addressing a cross-section of the Nigerian community in Ethiopia, the president said, “The crisis is historical between two ethnic groups who must live together. The problem is organic, and declaring a state of emergency will not solve the problem’’. He said with a state of emergency, the governor cannot be removed but only the parliament will be dissolved. He also said in spite of an earlier state of emergency declared by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the state in 2004, the problem still persisted, adding that government would soon arrive at an amicable solution.

There have been several calls for a state of emergency in Plateau State following the recurrence of ethno-religious killings in the state. Despite peace overtures by government and security measures put in place by the security task force in the state, the crisis appears not to be ending.

The state government yesterday said there was no truth in a rumour that a state of emergency had been declared in the state. The rumour circulated on SMS in what the mongers described as a big news. But James Mannok, the Plateau State Director of Press Affairs said in statement that the rumours were wishful thoughts of those who do not wish the state well.

http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11213:no-state-of-emergency-in-plateau-jonathan&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

Injustice. These people are cowards killing women and children. Let them face the men at day time if they have courage.

emmadaniel:
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AND FAST.
MORE ARE COMING
PLEASE LETS STOP FIGHTING
WE ARE ALL BROTHERS.[color=#006600][/color]

WHAT! You won try, come to Jos and enter Angwar Rogu. When u're done u'll not come to tell nairalanders what happen.
Islam, don't look at any human who is a nonislam as brother forever. Beware of Islam. May Nigeria should start thinking of splitting like what Suddan are doing now.

This countfy is Full of Poo

Almost everywhere in this country, there is crises. The Government are not doing enough to help the people of this country rather siphoning all public funds to foreign accounts. The senators are equally busy accumulating all the country's resources while other members of the public are busy thinking of doing negative against their Brothers.

I'm tired of hearing news of:
1. Kidnapping
2. Assassination
3. Boko Haram
4. MEND
5. Bombings
6. OPC
7. Religious crises
8. Political thuggery
9. Marginalization etc.

Papa God, We de your hand, especially the innocent ones!

Jos University teaching Hospital reported 28 deaths, While Birmenhem Hospital reported 8 deaths.

Nairalands, u guys argue a lot and that is not good for our country, because these arguments turn us to hate each other. If Love exist within us as Nigerians, Nigeria will be a better place to stay. Let us not generalise issues that all muslims are violent or all christians are violent. The truth is, do we LOVE this country, if yes then we are ready to die for the sake of this country. If Love/honesty exist, then no bloodshed.

No single investigation had come to a conclusion because some people up the ladder of affairs hide the facts. A lot of questions had been asked and answers are yet to be received.

The crises in Jos started in late 50s, the Hausas settlers had and have been looking for Politcal relevance/control in Jos during the era of tin mining. So issue of settler/Indigene need to be look and amendment made. Settlers need to respect their host comunity so that Indigenous culture can be preserve for future generation. Some minority cultures are becoming extinct and the majority are not helping matters rather they want to dominate. Honestly, the senators are not helping to checkmate this trend. Let us save the minority tribes rather than distroy them.

Some weeks back, some containers of weapons were intercepted. these are just few ones that the government was able to get. Nigeria has entered the era of bomb blast. What is wrong with the system. Soon people will wait for government and when the government cannot live up expectation of the innocent, a down of  people wrapping themselves with bomb will emanated. Everyone is getting tired of the government, the Federal government is not doing much to save lives of the innocent.

The Muslims (the selfish ones) in Jos should understand that when they keep inflicting terror on the locals especially the Beroms, time will come when it will bounce back at them which will the innocent muslims within and outside Plateau. This should and must not continue.

I think if Islam does not exist, the world will reach a high degree of peace. Philippines and Nigeria received attacks from the muslims yesterday, Christmas eve.

Check cnn.com

WORLD WAR 1, started with the Assassination of Archduke Francis Fardinand. WORLD WAR 2, started with Adolf Hitler's selfish interest to gain power. WORLD WAR 3 will start base on these two major Religion of the world, Muslims and Christians.

What's your comment.

The Imams encouraged this if not why would they behave this way after their prayers. Goats,

The fulani don't know or understand what they are bringing to themselves. They are just bringing an end to themselves. Plateau men are regrouping as kill more of her women/children and the worse is coming soon, beware.

Pls anyone,

Good day, Please I need help. Whenever I have sexual intercourse with my wife, she feel some pains each time I thrust. She tells me that my Penis touches a part of her vigina which creates the pains but she does not complain if I change to another.

Actually I have a curve penis, please how can I make it straight using natural methods without taking drugs or even performing surgery,
Please help.

Unless truth is known to all, that is when one should say she is innocent or not.

Maybe she is not in her sences when she went into the mosque to preach.
Maybe one of Imams or a muslim brother(s) invited her to come and preach.
Maybe someone threating her to a go and preach.
Maybe she went into the mosque for a different purpose.
Maybe she was not in the mosque preaching.

I myself will not support her if she really went into the mosque to preach

So guys let not conclude unless a proper invistigation is carried out.

What size, color and type of P.A.N.T.I.E.S do u want ur woman or girl to wear. I think I like my woman to wear intimacy.y panties that will bring out her natural endowment.