Latest On Jos Crisis

....And the inhumanity goes on.
My questions:
What is the cause of this?.
Who are behind this?.
How can this be stopped?.
What is the way forward?.

Lets discuss this as well as share the story of the latest issues on Jos crisis.

(Aside others post, KKSENIOR,GEMBIZ,DR AB,AKACHS and VICTOR,I will like to hear your personal take on this)

On Christmas Eve, two bombs went off near a large market in Jos where people were doing last-minute Christmas shopping. A third hit a mainly Christian area of Jos, while the fourth was near a road that leads to the city's main mosque.

Officials initially said at least 32 died from the blasts, while an official with the National Emergency Management Agency told journalists that he had counted 80 deaths from the explosions and the retaliatory violence that followed.

An Internet message attributed to a radical Muslim sect known in northern Nigeria as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bomb attacks. However, the sect had never carried out an attack in that region before.

As the violence began, a political party known as the Congress for Progressive Change was holding a local meeting in Jos. Plateau state police commissioner Abdurrahman Akano told journalists Saturday that the party held its meeting at a different location than what it told police.

"Hoodlums later hijacked the meeting as they freely used dangerous weapons which led to burning of cars," Akano said. "As people saw the mayhem, they started running and it spread to other parts of the city before the police was able to put the situation under control."

Witnesses told journalists at least three people died and others were wounded in the fighting.

The party recently picked Buhari, a disciplinarian who muzzled the press during his year-and-a-half rule in the 1980s, as its presidential candidate for the April election.

Saturday

On Saturday, gunshots echoed through the troubled city of Jos, causing store owners to close their shops and families to hide inside their homes.

The violence began as Christian youths blocked a road leading from a neighboring village Friday night, trapping the Muslims inside their car, said lawyer Ahmed Garba, a member of an Islamic religious council. Garba told journalists Saturday that seven people died in the attack and one person survived.

Garba said once news of the attack spread, Muslims began retaliatory violence in the streets of Jos that has left at least one person dead.

Manassie Panpe, the Red Cross' state secretary, said officials from the aid organization had found several injured people in the streets Saturday but that information remained scarce.

To me it is personal interests aggravated by political issues not as much a religious thing.

Walking on a tight rope,hatred and bigotry is the cause of this.

CHRISTIANS abandoned church services in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Sunday for fear of being attacked as tension continued to build up in the restive community.

In Gombe, eight people were killed by gunmen who fired shots at them where they were drinking.

The rumour of killings of some Christians in the Saturday violence led to　a reprisal attack at Angwa-Doki, Bukuru Jos South Local Government Area where no fewer than eight people were injured.

Rioters set homes ablaze and angry youths, armed with machetes, set up roadblocks yesterday. Witnesses heard gunshots and saw smoke rising in the afternoon from a southern neighborhood of the city where more than 500 people died last year in a sectarian violence.

Yessterday’s rioting followed the violence on Saturday, which led to the death of about 11 people.

Residents of Angwan Doki, Bukuru, a Christain dominated area of the city, could not sleep on Saturday night, following rumours of Christian casualties in the Bauchi Road clash earlier in the day.

It was the tension that kept people away from the churches.

Commissioner of Police Abdulrahaman Akano confirmed the riot. He said: "Some rioters, mostly youths, went on the rampage in Bukuru. It was an extension of what happened earlier in the day in the city of Jos. the rioting youths wanted to burn down the Bolingo Hospital, but policemen prevented them. After that, they went to block the highway. They were chased away; we never allowed them a chance.

"But in the process, eight people were injured; no life was lost. I ordered that the injured be evacuated and taken to the hospital."

Eye witnesses said several residential houses were razed down in the Bukuru riot and no fewer than five people were killed

It was learnt that Hausa-Fulani, youths and Christian youths assembled their arsenal waiting to react promptly to any surprise attack from the other, but the presence of the security agencies prevented a major clash.

Notwithstanding, the armed youths descended on innocent people, setting homes on fire.

Spokesman of the Special Task Force Captain Charles Ekaocha said: "For now, I can’t confirm the casualties. I will speak tomorrow. I can assure you our troops are fully on ground and in control. There will be no cause for alarm."

In Gombe, capital of Gombe State, witnesses told AP that gunmen stormed an outdoor bar on Friday night. The state is one of those implementing the Islamic Sharia law, which bans the consumption of alcohol. Most states, however, have hidden spots where locals can drink.

The gunmen opened fire on those drinking there, initially killing seven people, authorities said. An eighth person died in the hospital.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though members of Boko Haram have made attacks there in the past.

I wonder what the Christians are thinking,that by eliminating all Muslims they will be at peace Ko !!? and the Muslims also thinking that by eliminating all Christians victory and peace has come !?. What a faulty way of reasoning especially from those that claim they know the creator,can any creator delight in seeing another destroying what he has created?. These leave more room for us to know and see that hypocrites outnumbered the real and the true ones.
Let humanity prevails,let's allow compassion to reign.

JOS, Nigeria, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Religious conflict in central Nigeria has claimed at least 13 more lives, officials said.

Witnesses told the BBC the bodies of 13 people killed by machetes and gunshots were found Tuesday in a mostly Christian village 25 miles southwest of the polarized city of Jos. There have been no arrests in the attack, and the culprits have not been identified.

The latest violence is said to have started Friday after reports that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to Jos.

The city, which lies on the frontier between Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south, was reportedly quiet Monday as residents stayed home in fear of more violence.

Jos suffered deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and last year. Some 80 people died when bombs exploded around the city on Christmas Eve, and youths clashed two days later.

Hausa- and Fulani-speaking Muslims generally support the opposition, while ethnic Berom Christians favor the ruling People's Democratic Party.

Better search for the truth, i am tired listening and watching rubbish spewing and placing it on tv purposely for frustrating and igniting the fight on, while those that have responsiblities at hand were just standstill redundant without coming out with any solution. I personally pity our so-called leader having been not concentrate and tag on the source inwhich the solution is.

The Special Task Forced in Jos (STF), "Operation Safe Haven," has arrested the five soldiers that were on duty at Riyom when the attack occurred at Wareng village in which 13 persons, mostly women and children, were killed.

Read more: http://www.nigerianelitesforum.com/n...html#post13058

The Jos crisis has several dimensions. In the early stages it was treated as a religious war between the Christians and the Muslims. The hatred that emanated after that crisis is very dangerous. The State Government and the Federal Government instituted various committees, commissions, panels, boards etc but yet it appears that we are only pursuing the wind. All these various medium had their recommendations, suggestions, demands, directives etc but to our greatest surprise even the white papers on the crisis have not been implemented. The really reason is that the perpetrators of these crisis are powerful individuals which have perpetuated themselves into cabals that are untouchable.They are Nigerians who enjoy others killed, maimed, destroyed, render homeless and also impoverished for their selfish reasons. The first dimension to the crisis is religious. Religion is one of the cheapest tool you can use to destroy the poor. No wonder Carl Marx calls it the opium of the masses. Most people that are not educated in their religion tenets have been told to fight for their God. If God is great He is able to defend Himself. Those simple minded people that fight in the name of defense of their religion are the poor people. No rich man has ever been killed, house been destroy or children go to the streets to carry guns or burnt houses. For the poor remember the one that gives you that gun does not love you. Ask him for money for food he will not give you. But he can give you a gun that it's cost can change your poverty and empowers you. The second dimension is the military it is no longer news that the military boys send to protect, stabilize, and ensure peace in the plateau took the advantage to use the crisis as a business venture. They are making lots of money. Their banks accounts keep swelling on a daily basis. The #20 notes they get from the road blocks, the constant harassment of people on our roads, the raiding of cows in our villages, the returns to their ogas etc will make the crisis continue. Unless they are withdrawn from the state the crisis will continue because they have become very corrupt. The third dimension is that of political indices. Truly their are indigenes and also political lords that want the crisis to continue for their political advancement. Once their is peace on the plateau they don't have a political point to score in the state. That is the more reason once their is any crisis they want the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Plateau state pretending as if it is the only state in the federation that has or is going through crisis. So they pray and yearn for a crisis in Jos to clamour for usurping the governor in power, because they don't have anything they can use to discredit him. Even a blind man can "see" that development has come to the plateau people. The last dimension of the plateau crisis is that of ethnicity, dominion, enslavement, tribal superiority, and sovereignty of the Nigeria state. What this involves is the issue of citizenship and settlement realities. The fulanis who have been with the indigenes for long as a result of this crisis lots of conflicts emanated making most of them to loosing their cows, sheep, properties etc. Their is great suspicion between the indigenes and the fulanis. The fulanis suspecting the indigenes for stealing their cows and taking over their livelihood. This has resulted in the attacks in the villages were it has to be with the fulanis trying to get their cows.So in the attacks of the villages the issue is that of fulanis and the indigenes that has to do with their cows. Once the issue of cows is settle the villages will experience peace.

JOS, Nigeria -- Officials say up to 13 people were killed when men with rifles attacked several villages in volatile central Nigeria.

Plateau state police commissioner Abdurrahman Akanu said Friday that six people were killed, while a local government official cited 13 deaths.

Attackers opened fire as they fled the scene and a gunfight ensued. Special forces later arrested 29 suspects.

Up to 13 die in latest attacks in Jos

The only way out of the continuous crisis in Jos and in other areas that may be getting close to the boiling point is to reduce the emphasis placed on religion and ethnicity. If the government reduce the politicking on using the people as pawns on their political chessboard, then this country(including Jos) will be the better for it.
However, the issue of education, employment, security that should be the primary objective of any responsible government are not even featuring on the National Agenda. Too Bad! Too Bad!! Too Bad!!!

The police in northern Nigeria' s restless Plateau State has said 18 people were killed in early Tuesday morning attack on Belle, a village in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

State police spokesperson Apev Jacob disclosed this to reporters in Jos, the state capital late on Tuesday, adding that some of the invaders also lost their lives during the attack.

Seven people were injured, a house burnt and 19 cows were also rustled, the police added.

Jacob said security personnel moved swiftly to the scene of the attack when they received a distress call.

"However, the attackers had fled before the security operatives moved to the scene. The fleeing attackers are being hunted for with a view to arresting and bringing them to book," he said.

According to him, no arrest had so far been made but that the injured had been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital for medical attention.

The spokesperson appealed to the public to assist security agencies with useful information and to report any suspicious movement to the police on time for prompt action.

He urged the public to remain calm and law abiding as security personnel were doing everything possible to forestall recurrence.

He said investigation into the attack had commence, calling for cooperation from members of the public to bring the perpetrators to book.

The Plateau State is situated in Nigeria's middle belt where the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian-majority south meet. It has seen years of ethnic tensions and is a major potential flashpoint ahead of the April presidential elections.

The state capital Jos was plunged in a pool of blood on March 7, 2010, when members of local Muslim and Christian communities fought each other in revenge for previous killings.

Police said 109 people were slain in the March 7 tragedy, mostly women and children, weeks after hundreds died in waves of sectarian violence in the region. The bombings in Jos on the Christmas Eve last year killed at least 80 people.

Following the Sunday (20-3-2011) bomb explosions targeted at some local churches in Jos, the Plateau State capital, a free for all became the order of the day in Farin Gada between natives and Hausa-Fulani settlers around Tomato Market, where about eight people were killed and several others sustained various degrees of wounds.

LEADERSHIP investigations revealed that the fight was ignited Sunday night with the death of one unnamed Christian at the troubled neighboured around 9.45am by persons yet to be identified.

It was gathered that when the family of the deceased boy discovered the killing of their family member, they raised an alarm that generated tension within the segregated neighbourhood throughout.

As early as 9.am of yesterday, sporadic gun shots were heard in the neigbourhood of Farin Gada in Jos North local government council of the state.

Immediately, soldiers of the Special Military Task Force (STF) had to be drafted to the scene of the fracas to keep peace and maintain law and order.

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