SINCE the 2001 ethno-religious crisis that almost brought it to its knees, Plateau State has never known any sustainable peace. That happening was a pent-up anger, under a long period of military rule, waiting for the slightest touch to trigger violence.Another major crisis took place in 2004, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency on the state for six months. The same crisis resurfaced in 2008 when a local government election was held on a Thursday for the first time.The problem was not that the election was held on a Thursday, but the lack of transparency in the balloting. The crisis lingered for days and that really sowed the seed of religious animosity in the state, resulting in hostilities between the Christian indigenes and the Muslim settlers, who felt cheated.In 2011, the crisis took another dimension when there were multiple bomb blasts on the eve of Christmas, killing a number of Christian faithful. This incident was seen by the Christians as a calculated attempt by suspected Muslims to mess up the festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.Thus, the Christians reportedly mobilised for revenge during the Sallah celebration by rounding up and killing adherents who went to the Rukuba Road Mosque to observe the end of Fasting.This atmosphere of suspicion and bloodletting caused the Federal Government to set up a Special Task Force (STF) made up of personnel of the Army, Navy and Airforce under Major-General Saleh Maina.However, like the state governor, who was alleged as taking sides with his Berom kinsmen (Christians), Gen. Maina was also accused of favouritism (backing Muslims in the conflict). Eventually, the General Officer Commanding the 3 Armoured Division was divested of the command of the STF.In came a young army officer, Brigadier-General Hassan Umaru. Still, his tenure as commander of the STF did not bring the desired peace, as attacks, especially in Riyom and Barkin Ladi local governments, became almost a daily affair. His replacement, Brigadier-General Pat Akem, lasted only, due to the upgrade of the STF command hierarchy.Major-General Olayinka Oshinowo was appointed to command the STF because President Jonathan directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, to take over the security in Plateau State.During the tenure of Gen. Oshinowo, relative peace was witnessed, which made some indigenes to believe that he would be the last commander before the operation would wind up. But during a major shake-up in the military, he was redeployed to the 28 Division of the Nigerian Army, as the GOC while Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim took charge of the STF.Ibrahim resumed duty on a Friday and two days later (the next Sunday), there was a suicide bombing at the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) that left many worshippers, including the suicide bomber, dead and scores of vehicles burnt.Not quite two weeks, another explosion by a suicide bomber rocked the St. Finbar's Catholic Church, Rayfied, leaving many people killed.Violent reactions had trailed these happenings, thus exposing the dismal performance of the STF under Gen. Ibrahim on both ends. The substantive commander of the STF, Major-General Henry Ayoola, replaced him.HOWEVER, the pockets of attacks did not abate, as suspected Fulani herdsmen now zeroed their attacks on Barkin Ladi and Riyom councils. They operate in a commando style. They sneak into villages mostly at night, kill as many people as they can and melt into the darkness.It's suspected that the marauding herdsmen had an armoury stocked with sophisticated weapons at a village called Kankuruk.There had been a series of meetings between the Berom natives and the Fulani Ardos (leaders) but as soon as each meeting ended, with the pledge by the Fulani to keep the peace, there would be an attack by the Fulani, at times the very next day.This situation came to a head in the morning of Saturday, July 12, 2012, when suspected Fulani gunmen came to the Gashish district and unleashed terror on the people of some six villages. They killed about 37 people, mainly children, women and the elderly at Barkin Ladi. The attackers reportedly dressed in black attires with bulletproof vests.Aftermath of the attack, the member representing the community in the House of Representatives, Dr. Simon Mwadkwon, wept and lamented that the Fulani wanted to finish his people. Unfortunately, the lawmaker was among those injured when they went for the mass burial of those killed during the first attacks.After the killing of the 37 people, as confirmed by the STF spokesman, Captain Salisu Mustapha, arrangement was made to give the victims a mass burial the next day, which was Sunday. In the afternoon of that day, an advanced party went to the burial site before others came with the corpses to be buried.But as the burial rites were being carried out at about 2pm, a group of suspected Fulani assailants from the neighbouring hills descended on the mourners, shooting sporadically. In the ensuing stampede, Senator Gyang Dantong and the Majority Leader in the State House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani, died while Mwadkwon fainted but was revived at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.The displaced persons from the Saturday attacks in Barkin Ladi took refuge at Maseh village, in a big hall, which is used as a place of worship on Sundays. But some Fulani also descended from the surrounding hills overlooking the hall and set it ablaze.Not done yet, the attackers took strategic positions waiting to kill those who would dare to come out. And that was what exactly happened, as more than 50 people were killed in the process. The victims, who were mostly children, women and the aged, could not defend themselves.This mass killing attracted the anger of the Berom youths, who saw the episode as a calculated attempt to wipe out the Berom nation, because the over 50 people massacred in that big hall, the deceased senator and the state legislator were Berom.The rampaging Berom youths smashed windscreens of vehicles indiscriminately. Both Muslims and Christians were victims, as their identities were not ascertained by the enraged youths. Many of the affected abandoned their vehicles and ran for their lives.The youths formed illegal roadblocks in the Jos/Bukuru metropolis from the afternoon till nightfall. In Riyom, which is on the Jos-Abuja expressway, the road was blocked by the youths, making vehicles to turn back.According to an eyewitness account, the youths were determined to dare the security agencies but the elders had to intervene, even as the youths insisted that they were not going to vacate the roads until they felt avenged.However, they grudgingly vacated the scene with a promise to reenact the drama the following day (Monday), as the curfew imposed was initially to terminate by 7am.WEIGHING the looming danger, Governor Jang and the security operatives took a decision to impose a curfew on the four troubled local government councils of Jos North, Jos South, Riyom and Barkin Ladi and to extend the curfew hours from 7.30pm to 7am to 6pm to 12pm everyday until further notice.The governor also made a broadcast to the citizens of the state, stressing that God was in control of the situation and that the people should not take the law into their hands in view of what had happened.Jang, who was visibly angry and emotional, especially when he said that the attacks on the innocent citizens were an attempt to wipe out the Berom race from the planet, described the siege on the people as a war against Plateau State and the country as a whole.He urged the Federal Government to do something to put in check the dastardly activities of the hoodlums, whom, he said, were bent on destabilising the state and the nation.He said the government of Plateau State had never concealed any bad feelings against any person that should warrant the ugly and incessant attacks on the people.Similarly, some respondents told The Guardia that what's happening in the state was genocide, which must be looked into by the Federal Government.Mr. John Mankilik, an elder statesman, expressed shock that people were being killed like fowls, though he urged them to respect the curfew hours imposed by the state government.He, however, implored the Federal Government to review its security strategy in curbing the indiscriminate attacks in the state.A retired police officer, Mr. John Sule, gave reasons violence persists in Plateau. According to him: 'Lack of forgiveness is what causes this violence to persist in the society. Because, if you kill somebody, the relations of the deceased will be ready for revenge anytime the opportunity presents itself.'That vengeance is in Nigerians generally. People do not forget the wrong done to them until they revenge. The period of peace, when nothing is happening after an attack, is for the other injured party to plan very well for the revenge.
Click here to read full news..
