Lagos — The smouldering religious and ethnic crises in Plateau State burst penultimate week with killings in Yelwa and Wasse. Reprisal violence erupted in Kano State leading to more deaths and destruction of property.

For two consecutive days last week, thousands of angry Muslims took to the streets in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria, to protest what they alleged as the killing of more than 600 fellow Muslims in a brutal attack by "Christian gunmen in the town of Yelwa, Plateau State" earlier this month. As a result schools and businesses closed in panic as protesters killed and maimed people, burned cars and businesses owned by Christians. As at Thursday Police confirmed the death of 30 people.

Islamic clerics, who led the march alleged that there was a Western conspiracy to kill Muslims. "Muslims are tired of the killing of their brothers in this country, especially with what is going on in Yelwa," Umar Ibrahim Kabo, head of Kano's Council of Ulammah (Clerics) told the protesters.

Leading the protesters to Government House, Kano, Kabo further alleged that since the Kafanchan crisis about 17 years ago "genocide on the Muslim Umma (faithful) has continued unaverted without caution from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)."

According to the Nigerian Red Cross estimate, more than 600 Muslims were killed in the May 2 attack on Yelwa, a small mainly Muslim town in Plateau State. Christians in the area have however disputed the figure as untrue and exaggerated. Most of the dead, the protesters further alleged, were from the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups which dominate northern Nigeria.

The attack, Muslim protesters alleged, was carried out by militiamen from the mainly Christian Tarok ethnic group wielding machetes and automatic rifles and poured kerosene on many houses and burnt them down with their occupants inside.

"This violence is a calculated Western global war against Muslims, just like what is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq," Kabo told the crowd of angry demonstrators in Kano. He called on President Olusegun Obasanjo to arrest those responsible for the attack within seven days or take "blame for whatever happens".

The protesters marched to the office of Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State. In a response, Shekarau, who stopped short at endorsing the protest, told the crowd not to attack innocent people, but warned them to be ready to lay down their lives to safeguard their rights and honour as Muslims. "If the killing of Muslims throughout the world and Nigeria is done to intimidate us it will only embolden us," the governor said. Boldened by this, the demonstrators went on rampage killing innocent people.

Plateau State has been rocked by intermittent bursts of ethnic and religious clashes and attacks since 2001, when about 1,000 people were killed in violence between Christians and Muslims in the state capital, Jos. That outbreak of violence followed growing tension between Christians and Muslims over the adoption of a strict Islamic Shari'ah legal code by 12 states in the mainly Muslim north. Many non-Muslims regard the introduction of Shari'ah as a plot to achieve Islamic hegemony in Nigeria.

As a result of the latest reprisal attack, the Federal Government deployed extra military troops to the area, while police stepped up street patrols in Jos in a bid to forestall any fresh outbreak of sectarian violence. Jos automatically became a beehive of activities and a centre of attraction for Nigerian government officials and relief agencies. Earlier, government had constituted a panel to look into the matter and to bring reconciliation as well as to see that the crisis does not occur again. The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris heads the panel. But many Nigerians and organisations have criticised the appointment of the Emir as the head of the panel. For example, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),Plateau State branch last Tuesday condemned the Federal Government for appointing the Emir to that position.

"Why must it be an emir that would be appointed to head such peace panel whenever there is a crisis between Christians and Muslims? why not a Bishop? The Emir who is from Zaria, Kaduna State and cannot quench the fire in his own backyard is coming to stop a rampaging one in another state. It's all hypocrisy. It was the same Emir, who after the initial sitting on the crisis told Jos people that everything had been settled for Muslims to come the next day to unleash attack on Christians," CAN said.

"The question some of us are asking is: what is the interest of the Emir of Zazzau. We are paying lip service to the idea of one Nigeria. It is only the peaceful attitude of the Plateau man that can accept that. A bishop cannot be accepted in Kano to be a chairman of a peace committee. Of course, there are some other nasty stories about the man. A man who lives in a place with lot of graveyards. One would ask: what are the graveyards for. It's a terrible thing, but we won't say all that now.

"My humble advice to the Federal Government is that we must have a strong intelligence outfit to investigate the crisis in Plateau, Kaduna, Kano and other crisis-prone states. We cannot continue to hide that there is no terrorism in Nigeria. In Plateau State, we have a lot of evidences to show," Rev. Yakubu Pam, the President of CAN Plateau State emphasised.

While not trying to castigate the Federal Government on how it has handled the situation, he said government should be bold enough to tell the truth when it sees one. He also advised that the problem was beyond the capacity of committees. "This is where we need a committed and vibrant intelligence to handle this, to go deep into the locales where these terrorists are being trained to launch attack on innocent people.

"Innocent people are being killed, churches are being destroyed. In Plateau now, a lot of people are walking on the street with fear. We say Federal Government should take a good look into the matter. Some of the terrorists are both Nigerians and non-Nigerians. I would want to tell you that terrorism has actually been linked with Islam. There are true and sincere Muslims, which we know are not in support of things like this even though Islam has been used for terrorism.

"In Plateau State we have aliens like the Chadians who are members of the terrorist group. The Mobile Police know and were able to kill about 15 of them recently. Maitatsine group has also been identified in the Plateau crisis and you know as much as I do about this group.

"We have evidence of their training ground. The security intelligence of this country knows unless they don't want to be sincere. The problem with this nation is that we don't tell the truth, these are the things that are going on."

Human Rights Watch, an international NGO last week accused the Nigerian government of not doing enough to safeguard the residents of Yelwa. The New York-based organisation said in a statement on Tuesday that the Christian attack on the town was the latest in a series of violent incidents in the area and could have been averted.

"The government's neglect of the situation in Plateau over the last three years has resulted in an endless cycle of revenge," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch, Africa Division. The group urged government to investigate the attacks and take urgent steps to end the cycle of violence.

Pam, who was in Lagos last Tuesday to brief a selected media audience on what has been going on in Plateau State as regards the crisis, regretted that it was the Muslims that will attack first and run to the press and government, crying wolves. He said that Christians who constitute 95 per cent of the population of the state has suffered a lot in the hands of the few Muslims.

"It is not true that Christians attacked first in Yelwa. They have never come out to attack; they have been more on the defence. If Christians decide to attack, no Muslim will live in Plateau. If you count on the retired soldiers of the nation, the state has it and they are Christians.

"It was in the same Yelwa, that 46 people were killed in a church while taking refuge, it was in the same Yelwa that all houses owned by Christians were burnt. Now all the Christians in Yelwa have fled the place. That tells you that the people have been enduring. The news outside is that it's the Christians that are attacking Muslims. Its all lies fabricated to curry sympathy.

"The recent crisis was that where Christians were staying in a refugee camp, the Muslims from Yelwa pursued them and killed two of their men. These people said 'we are being pushed to the wall, we are here with our brothers and they don't allow us, we are driven out of our land', so they said okay if that is the case, 'let us go there and die". They packed their things and went back, and the reaction now is all over. You can't stop people going back to their land. That was what brought about the recent fighting everybody is talking about," Pam, who is from the Birom stock, added.

He said the "problem in Plateau State has been so difficult to say what exactly is the root cause. A lot of people have known Plateau State as a peaceful place, a state that is cordial, a state that loves visitors. We did not have differences either of religion or tribal. Our parents lived peacefully with the Muslims.

"But of recent, people have witnessed some ugly situations that has engulfed the state. But I would like to state very clearly that the state is 95 per cent Christians and despite that we have lived with each other and have been very frank with one another, there was nothing like deceit. The thing is that if you don't know the root cause, you won't be able to tackle the problem," he added.

He further explained that the Muslim militia that attack Christians are acting out the Islamic agenda. He noted that since 18th to 20th centuries "there has been plans to dominate and Islamise Plateau State. You also remember that it's only Plateau among the northern states that was not conquered by the Jihadists and that grievance has been there. After the jihad all other wars have been brain war and the political position of Plateau State and those things have given rise to the physical war you now see happening. It's not just a few Muslims in Plateau. If we only live with the Muslims in Plateau, we will live peacefully.

"Presently as I am talking to you, Kano State is controlling about two local governments in Plateau State. I don't want to go into details. Wasse is made up of people from Kano, and we have the story of how they got there. So whatever happens in Plateau, Kano is interested," Pam stressed, while condemning the role of the emirs.

"They share the same view and attempt to cover up. That's why we are rejecting the panel headed by the Emir of Zazzau". Pam particularly accused the Emir of Wasse of harbouring the Muslim militias in his domain, an activity even security operatives are aware of. He said, "the problem with Nigeria is that we hide a lot of things, because government officials fear that if they say it the other side will react. What I have come to discover is that government fears the Muslims, nobody wants to offend them, because they know they have the tendency to cause trouble at any time.

"For example, on Fridays, in Jos all the armoured tanks from the Rukuba Barracks would be rolled out, but on Sundays there won't be such tanks on the streets of Jos," he said. He addd that Plateau is now calm as the two sides "have retreated to work in peace. Like I said, the problem is not within, its from outside. We are sleeping with one eye open in case there is any attack. If there is any, we will respond. Plateau man never gives up. I commend the state government, it has been active and we know they have been facing a lot of pressure from outside," Pam stressed.

Since the crises broke out, humanitarian organisations have sent relief materials like foods, bedding materials and water. But CAN condemned the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) the way it has handled relief distribution at the camps. It accused the agency of not being fair to Christians both in "declaring the casualty figures as well as sharing relief materials. We condemn the activities of the agency. Any figure you hear is being exaggerated and not authentic."

Other Nigerians have been reacting on both the Plateau killings that led to the Kano protest and killings. Pastor Ladi Thompson of the Macedonian Initiative, which has been involved in research and relief efforts, said, "history shows us that Plateau State has been peaceful. I was in Riyom to take care of the wounded and found out how the terrorists were handling sophisticated weapons.

"While we were there, the terrorists launched an attack and in the process, one prominent footballer was slaughtered like a donkey. So the facts on ground show that that Plateau has been a peaceful place. The trouble is not from within; definitely, they are coming from the outside."

Reviewing the crisis, Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye said there was an "Al-Qaeda agenda" designed to bring down his administration and the Federal Government.

He restated that his government's concern is the restoration of peace to Yelwa-Shendam. Dariye expressed deep sadness at the crisis, saying "this is a grand design, it's an al-Qaeda agenda to bring down Plateau State and bring down Nigeria. He condemned the emirs and Ulamma that visited Obasanjo at Aso Rock.

Dariye alleged that the group was declared as the brain behind the Maitasine riot in 1978 and subsequently sent out of Kaduna, querying that "if they were so good, why were they sent out of Kaduna. Men of goodwill must resist this attempt. They came to form their headquarters in Jos. Is it because we tolerate them? Now they want to turn it into an agenda. We would not accept that agenda," he said. His statement came at the heel of Obasanjo's vow to find a solution to the communal crisis.

However, receiving the preliminary report from the peace committee, Obasanjo, who was in Jos Thursday lambasted Pam for questioning why he kept quite while the crisis lasted and for calling for the rejection of Emir of Zazzau as the head of the peace panel. He said "we can't have a situation where a part of the country has become a sore, a source of instability and insecurity," regretting that efforts to restore peace to the area had not yielded much. The President further condemned the war threat by Alhaji Datti Ahmed, a former presidential aspirant and his group. Ahmed had threatened that there would be war if the Federal Government did not constitute a national conference where issues of how Nigerians would live together would be discussed. Alliance for Democracy (AD) has consistently called for the conference; a call the government said was not necessary.

While receiving the report however, Obasanjo thanked the Idris committee for a job well done, and said government would "study the report and act on it."

Earlier, the Emir had revealed that factors such as indigeneship, land administration, chieftaincy matters, mutual suspicion and other disagreements arising from social interaction between the communities were the remote causes of the conflict.

Last Thursday, Kano remained tense but calm after two days of religious riots that claimed at least 30 lives. More than 10,000 Christians who fled their homes during the disturbances were still too scared to return. Heavily armed police and army units patrolled the predominantly Muslim city of eight million people. The highly visible security forces averted what would have been a third day of bloodshed when they dispersed a crowd of Muslim rioters who were attempting to burn down a building housing Christians in the Sauna district of Kano. The mob had already set two cars on fire outside the house before the police and army arrived.

At the Murtala Mohammed Hospital, the city's main health institution, the morgue was too full to take more dead bodies. Red Cross officials said their records showed 36 people had died six more than the figure of 30 given by the police.

This happened while tension was reported mounting in Igbo states of Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, as news filtered that their kith and kin in Kano were being murdered by Muslim fanatics. Investigation in Aba and Umuahia (Abia State) revealed that residents of these major towns where there are many members of MASSOB are warming up to avenge the attacks by Muslim fanatics on their kinsmen in Kano.

But as calm of the graveyard returned to Wasse and Yelwa in Plateau and Kano States, Friday, some said those behind the crisis should be punished.