i found this article on guardian site.. note that the people used where from niger and chad.. can u all get point that the crisis was not political but some sectors just wanting to cause trouble.
PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday called a halt to the move by the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, to swear in chairmen and councillors whose elections on Thursday sparked off the violence that has left the city in ruins.
The President has also directed defence and security chiefs to ensure that there are no spill over of reprisal attacks arising from the Jos crisis to any other state in the country.
Yar'Adua's action is coming on the heels of a revelation by Jang that Nigerian law enforcement agencies have apprehended some mercenaries hired from Republic of Niger and Chad for the disturbances.
Jang said this when he granted an audience to the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Audu Bida (rtd) at his Du residence in Jos South Local Council.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Vincent Ogbulafor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, have condemned the riot, urging religious leaders in the state to exercise restraint.
Also, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) has summoned an extra-ordinary meeting of the council to address all the issues arising from the communal disturbances.
Meanwhile, first civilian governor of the state, Chief Solomon Lar has described the crisis as very unfortunate, adding that the two religions should exist harmoniously.
NIREC Executive Secretary, Ishaq Oloyede, in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, said the meeting would hold in Abuja tomorrow at noon.
Relatedly, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, yesterday described as unfortunate last Friday's mayhem in Jos and called on government at all levels to intensify efforts to re-establish peace and tranquility in the state.
In a statement in Abuja, the cleric noted that it was the primary responsibility of government to ensure security of lives and property of citizens, especially through vigilance, firm and impartial enforcement of law and order, justice and good governance.
In addition to that, clerics and officials of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) condemned the mayhem, saying that if government and other stakeholders had acted fast enough the ugly situation would have been prevented.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna, NBC National President, Dr. Reuben Chuga and General Secretary, Rev. Solomon Ishola, decried the situation, appealing for peace and restraint from all residents of the state.
However, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday asserted that only true and unbiased investigations would unravel the facts behind the crisis.
In a statement, the publicity secretary of the party, Emma Eneukwu, described the loss of lives and properties in the aftermath of the polls in the state as sad and very regrettable.
The ANPP spokesman noted that the situation would have been avoidable if those charged with the responsibility of handling the elections had done that creditably.
Also, as part of the pre-emptive attempt at staving off any possible reprisal attack in response to the disturbance in the northern state, the police authorities in Kano yesterday rolled out armoured tanks in an apparent show of force.
Meanwhile, a source told The Guardian last night that Yar'Adua felt the planned swearing - in of elected council chairmen and councillors in such a volatile environment was highly insensitive.
The President, the source, added was therefore "highly incensed that the governor could contemplate inaugurating the council heads in the face of the current development when tension was still high and people still counting their huge losses."
Yar'Adua, who spoke with Jang in a telephone conversation last night expressed disappointment at the planned move, saying that "such a move could inflame further passion if not stopped."
According to the source, "on learning that the governor was planning to inaugurate the new councils on Monday (yesterday), the President phoned him on Sunday evening to express his displeasure at such a move which could inflame further passion. He told the governor to shelve the idea.
"The President, at the weekend, also directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation under whose purview the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is, to ensure that efforts are made to provide relief materials for the displaced people."
To ensure that there are no reprisal attacks in other states, the President was said to have already enlisted the support of security chiefs, prominent religious, traditional rulers as well as political leaders across the country.
But Jang, at another forum yesterday, denied the reports that people were killed in a mosque during the disturbances.
The governor asserted that it was the mercenaries who killed both Moslems and Christians because as foreigners, he alleged, they could not differentiate between the adherents of the two religions.
He expressed his displeasure over what he called the nefarious activities of those who hired the mercenaries to kill and destroy property of fellow countrymen.
According to him, those who precipitated that crisis had other motives apart from political since the mayhem erupted after a free and fair election.
He commended NEMA and security agencies for their rapid response to the crisis and in keeping the situation under control.
Also receiving the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yusuf Bomoi, at his residence, the governor condoled with the families of the three corps members who lost their lives in the crisis.
He said the state government would give their remains a befitting burial.
In a statement by Ogbulafor's Media Assistant, Chijoke Adindu, the party condemned the violence and commended Yar'Adua and Jang for their timely intervention and moves towards restoring peace and order in the state.
On his part, Bankole, in a statement by his assistant on communications, Kayode Odunaro, appealed to religious leaders in the state to exercise restraint.
Speaking during an inspection tour that took him round scenes of the mayhem in Jos, the Speaker said they were in leadership position by divine grace and should exhibit leadership trait by not joining their followers in perpetrating violence. He added not much could be achieved in a violent and crisis situation of the past few days.
Oloyede, however, said the NIREC was already in consultation with all the stakeholders in the crisis, urging them to observe absolute restraint.
He said all the stakeholders in the issue should allow for a thorough investigation and avoid acts capable of rushing into any conclusion before investigations are concluded.
Also, the Benue State chapter of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the President to declare a state of emergency in Plateau State to serve as a deterrent to governors with plans to rig elections and cause mayhem in the country.
In an interview with The Guardian in Makurdi yesterday, Benue State chairman of the conference, Mr. Baba Agan, expressed regrets that an elder statesman like Governor Jang could support the massive rigging of local council polls in the state.
The CNPP said that the blame for the Jos religious crisis should be placed squarely at the doorstep of the Plateau State government for failing to observe the basic tenets of election conduct.
Yesterday, Kano appeared very calm as residents went about their normal businesses without any untoward development. For instance, major markets in the commercial city were full of activities as buyers and sellers from within and outside the city were seen conducting their businesses.
However, the police not wanting to be caught unawares, mounted serious security checks at all entries to the city.
In addition, police armed personnel carriers (APC) were seen strategically positioned at the frontage of some key public institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and major roundabouts in the city of Kano.
Also, a senator representing Plateau North in the Senate, Dr. Gyang Dantong, has recommended the carving out of four local councils from the present Jos North as a way out of the political logjam that always characterises any council election in the area as a result of its amorphous nature.
While addressing a media briefing yesterday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Jos, Dantong was quick to doubt if that would help the situation because, according to him, the crisis in the area has always been pre-planned and just waiting for an opportunity to trigger it.
But making reference to the violence that hit Jos, the National Chairman of Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Mr. Maxi Okwu, has said that the crisis was caused by the inability of the government to provide welfare and security to the people.
Okwu told The Guardian that there was violence, hunger, insecurity in every part of the country because the federal and state governments had failed to provide the people with security and welfare, which he said, were the basic responsibilities of the government.
| Posted: at 2-12-2008 10:59 AM (15 years ago) | Newbie |
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