Chuks Okocha, Juliana Taiwoin Abuja And Seriki Adinoyi
2 December 2008
Jos — There was more outrage last night over the sectarian crisis in Jos which has claimed over 300 lives.
The National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, called on the Governor of Plateau State, Chief Jonah Jang, and the Ministers of Police Affairs and Defence to resign from office for negligence and their inability to nip the Jos crisis in the bud.
The Nigeria Labour Con-gress (NLC) asked the Federal Government to urgently set up a judicial commission of enquiry to look into the immediate and remote causes of the crisis.
The sectarian riots had broken out last Friday over the Jos North local government election in the state.
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has, however, halted plans by Jang to inaugurate the new local government executives whose elections sparked off the three-day crisis in the state.
A source said President Yar'Adua who gave the order via telephone was said to be highly incensed that the governor could be so insensitive as to contemplate inaugurating the councils in the face of the crisis and with the tension yet to die down.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the ANPP Chairman said Jang, the Ministers of Police Affairs and Defence or those acting in those capacities should resign for their inability to "read the writing on the wall on the carnage that took place in Jos."
Also reiterating the call, the National Chairman of Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Chief Maxi Okwu, called on the governor and the Service Chiefs to resign for failing to decode the Jos crisis and to prevent their occurrence.
He also accused PDP of keeping silent in the face of the crisis in Jos.
Ume-Ezeoke said: "We all read how the Minister in Mumbai in India resigned over the terrorist attack in his home country for failing in his duties. We in the ANPP are equally calling on Governor Jang to resign with immediate effect for gross negligence of duties.
"The Governor is the Chief Security Officer in his state and should therefore take absolute responsibility for the carnage where over 300 people lost their lives and properties worth billions of naira were destroyed by the rioters.
"The Ministers of Police Affairs and Defence should resign and apologise to the nation for failure in their duties to decode and prevent the crisis and their inability to take proper action to prevent the crisis from escalating to the level of losing hundreds of lives and billions of property.
"As far as the ANPP is concerned, the Ministers of Police Affairs and Defence have failed woefully in their duties to prevent this crisis and maintain law and order. We call on President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to sack them if they fail to resign."
The ANPP also called for the cancellation of the Jos North election where the PDP candidate was declared as the winner.
In his reaction, the Chairman of CPP said: "If the governor and the Service Chiefs have any shame, they should throw in the towel as their Mumbai counterpart did in India. The truth of the matter is that they have failed."
According to the NLC, the commission of inquiry should also establish the role played by high ranking public officers (security, government, and party officers, among others); determine the number of lives and properties lost and make recommendations.
In a statement by its General Secretary, Comrade John Odah, NLC condemned in very strong terms the recent killings and brigandage.
NLC said: "This latest blood letting and carnage linked to the last local government elections is a sad commentary on our electoral process and an indictment of our politicians and the political class who still view elections as a do-or-die affair. Despite world wide outrage at the performance of Nigeria's electoral system, the current crisis is yet another sad reminder that our present crop of political leaders are not ready to build a fair electoral system.
"In the light of the high volatility of Jos given the history of tense contest for power in the past, we wondered why adequate security was not provided in the period before and after the elections."
President Yar'Adua reportedly warned that inaugurating the new local government executives in Plateau State could inflame further passion.
The source disclosed that President Yar'Adua also directed the Chief of Defence Staff and security chiefs to ensure there was no spill-over of the Jos crisis to any other state in the country.
"On learning that the governor was planning to inaugurate the new councils today (yesterday), the President phoned him on Sunday evening to express his displeasure at such a move which could inflame further passion and told the governor to shelve the idea," the source disclosed.
The source said President Yar'Adua was also disappointed that the Plateau State government had not done much by way of relief efforts for the displaced people, many of whom were reported to be hungry and living under very pitiable conditions.
Accordingly, he was said to have directed the relevant authorities to ensure that relief materials were provided for the victims of the crisis without further delay to ameliorate their condition.
Also yesterday, the 16 thugs arrested and detained by the men of the Nigerian Air Force were paraded before newsmen. Various dangerous weapons were recovered from them and displayed at the Air Force Barracks.
However, in Kano, the state Police Command has beefed up security in all strategic locations in the city including areas identified as black spots.
A special squad has also been put on red alert while security has been beefed up in the Sabon Gari area of Kano, which has a population of over six million non-indigenes and a large presence of churches.
THISDAY learnt that the state Police Command in a bid to forestall a possible spill-over of the Jos crisis, deployed riots policemen in strategic locations in the state capital.
Also, the Speaker of the House of Representative, Dimeji Bankole, has said the National Assembly would investigate the cause of the Jos crisis.
Bankole, who visited the state, appealed for peaceful coexistence among the people, stating that there won't be any meaningful development without peace.
Former military President Ibrahim Babangida said the orgy of violence in Jos had thrown up fresh challenges in the march towards democratic governance.
Babangida said in a statement by his Media Spokesman, Prince Kazeem Afegbua, that, "The violence and wanton destruction of lives and property are indicators that we have not got it right on matters of elections and the conduct of same. Crisis such as this easily exposes our undercurrents as a nation still grappling with differences in motives, intentions, objectives and national goals.
"By now, one would have wished that some of the issues playing out are considered as settled, but each time we exploit the opportunity of elections to voice out these primordial sentiments by way of violence. This is rather unfortunate.
"The conduct of elections should ordinarily afford the electorate the opportunity to make informed choices on who should lead or govern them. It is an opportunity to correct mistakes of the past and heal the wounds of yesteryears in the process of throwing up leadership that would serve the people in line with their collective aspirations. It is certainly not a call to arms or violence. It is a call to service, to add value to the developmental initiatives of the nation at the third tier of government in the interest of all.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, appealed to residents of Jos to embrace peace while condemning the ethno- violence in the Tin city.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, the PDP Chairman called on all and sundry to avoid violence and lawlessness in the interest of development of the country.
He commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives while lauding the timely intervention of President Yar'Adua towards restoring peace and order in the state.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth Development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, has condemned the recent killings especially of three corps members in the mayhem.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, the minister expressed regret that youthful and promising Nigerians contributing their quota to national development under the NYSC scheme should be caught in the crossfire of violence unleashed under any guise.
"If anything, a corps member epitomises a united Nigeria and deserves the protection and support of all at all times," the statement said.
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the jos north crisis during 2001 was planned, juts to destroyed muslims in jos nort, mots especially Hausa Fulani.Also even even 2009 thesamething