Mass arrest as police foil another round of killings

Security operatives yesterday foiled what could have been another round of bloodbath in Jos, the Plateau State capital. A joint security team of police and army arrested 45 people that attempted to sneak into the city using a malicious plot: the 45 armed invaders came in a trailer loaded with about 200 cement.

Dangerous weapons were found on the invaders including but not limited to charms, knives and amulets of different proportions.

Last week, Jos was thrown into an orgy of mourning following the massacre of over 400 people mostly children and women in Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Rassat.

The 45 suspects, mostly youths in their early 20s to 30s, were arrested by the Joint patrol team of the military and the police manning security at Hoss village in Riyom local government area. They acted after a tip-off.

Eye witnesses told our reporter that "around 6-6:30am, the suspects were nabbed" and after a search, weapons were discovered. Secueity officials promptmyl arrested the driver of the truck, one Alhaji Umaru Lamido, who said his team was coming from travelling from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri to deliver cement meant for a business mogul, Alh. Aliko Dangote". Observers doubt that the invaders actually had any plan to deliver cement to the business mogul.

Thousands of residents yesterday trooped to the headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, Plateau State command, to witness the arrest of the 45 suspects who The Nation learnt were on their way to Jos to carry out another round of killings.

The arrest is coming barely one week after the gruesome murder of women and children numbering over 500 in

The suspected killers were intercepted in a trailer loaded with over 200 bags of cement said to be coming from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, North-Eastern Nigeria.

In an interview with our correspondent, Chairman of Riyom local government, Hon. Simon Mwankwon Fwet, said he got wind of the people coming to Jos through a phone call from Lafia, the capital city of Nasarawa state.

"I received a tip from Lafia yesterday that a truck loaded with cement was coming to Jos and that a lot of youths were inside the truck. Immediately I received that information, I communicated all the security operatives and alerted them on the phone call I got yesterday.

"The youths I was told were coming to Jos and were in possession of some dangerous weapons. So I got the captain who was in charge of the operations in that area to alert him immediately. The arrest was made around 6-6:30am. I witnessed the arrest ". Hon. Fwet narrated.

At the state force headquarters where the suspects were brought, thousands of residents came to catch a glimpse of "our killers" as they shouted. The state force headquarters came under siege for more than four hours as most women and children came in their large numbers. A female in her early twenties yelled, "They are coming to kill us again because tomorrow, (today) is Sunday".

Police authorities were however quiet on the arrest. The state Police Public Relations Officer ASP Mohammed Lerema, told reporters that "investigations would commence as soon as the police finish taking statements from the suspects".

As at the time of filing in this report, the 45 suspects were taken under custody with their weapons.