Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu
14 March 2010
Lagos — Nigerians woke last Sunday, to the news that more than 400 people of Dogo Nahawa community in Jos south area of Plateau state had been sent to their early graves by rampaging invaders.
News of the attack spread like wildfire creating panic in parts of Jos North, which had earlier in January, witness another round of the orgy of violence that has now become and existential reality in the state.
The panic-stricken Jos north saw traders and shop owners locking up their stall in wait for what follows next. But as measures were being forcefully taken to ensure that the attack does not spread to other parts of the state, residents of the Dogo Nahawa, were either crying their eyes out or still picking up their dead.
For them, it was an attack that had broken the peace of the community and left wounds that will take decades to heal.
And for Governor Jonah Jang, the attack was more of an affront. Dogo Nahawa was just about seven minutes walk away from where he lives. The governor, Sunday Champion learnt, has since swearing in, been operating from his private home in his village, which is about 10 minutes drive to his office at Rayfield.
It was learnt that the governor decided to relocate and operate from his village as a sacrifice to help secure the state guests. Sunday Champion learnt that the official state guest house and Presidential guest houses in Jos, are located within the volatile Jos North, making the governor rethink the idea of housing his guests in such places given the impulsive outbursts that usually left scores dead.
This decision, Sunday Champion investigations showed, made Jang to convert his official residence at Rayfield into a temporary home for state guests leaving him the option of operating from his private home in his village.
But that was the decision that brought him close to the ire of marauding invaders who, Sunday Champion gathered, only retreated because they felt that they had inflicted much pain and damage on the mainly Christian community of Dogo Nahawa.
Sunday Champion had exclusively reported last Monday that the governor got wind of the impending attack early enough to alert security operatives in the state. According to the report, "rumours of the impending attack started coming in at about 11pm. When the governor heard it, he called the Joint patrol team that is in the area. The team comprising of Army and Air force was being led by and Army Captain who is the Sectoral Commander. He was briefed about the security situation and asked to mobilize from his location to the village.
"But some time after midnight, about 1am, people started calling from there that their village has been attacked and when the governor called the Army Captain to know where they were, his telephone was switched of. He could not be reached.
"The governor had to make an alternative arrangement and called another team from another location.
"But because this think is happening in a village on the border with Bauchi state, before the team could actually find the place it was too late. We kept on calling and giving them direction until they got there. And when they got, they could only see burnt houses and dead people."
Governor Jang, would later on Tuesday confirm the story. While briefing the Presidency and military chiefs in Abuja about the attack, the governor re-affirmed that he his telephone call informing the patrol team of the impending attack was ignored.
Though Army authorities have disagreed with Governor Jang over his allegation, the Governor insists that he had called the leader of the patrol team in the area informing him of the impending attack and urged him to get cracking with his team.
The Army, in a statement signed by Chris Olukolade, a Brigadier General and Director of Army Public Relations, said Gov. Jang ought to have used the proper channel to communicate the army instead of complaining to the media.
"That Gov Jang visited the Defence Headquarters today Wednesday, 10 March, 2010 clearly indicates that he knows the appropriate authority to consult in the event of dissatisfaction with the action of any Army commander.
Rather than follow this process, he resorted to inflammatory remarks targeted at rubbishing the army. His allegation insinuating bias is indeed unfortunate.
"It is noteworthy that the Nigerian Army is involved in internal security operations in virtually all states of the Federation including Plateau State. The record of the Army's performance in all these operations has continued to attract commendation and appreciation even in the face of numerous challenges. Governor Jang's ceaseless attack on the Army only goes to confirm his extraordinary partisanship to which the Army will not be blackmailed into supporting.
"It is common knowledge that the Internal Security operation in Jos, Plateau State is a Joint military operation involving the various services and the Nigeria Police Force. This situation arose when the Police could not cope at the onset of the Jos crisis in January 2010 and the military was legally drafted to restore law and order in Plateau State. The operation now involves personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police and the State Security Service among others. It is therefore unfortunate that Gov Jang's spurious claims were specifically targeted at tarnishing the good image of the Army.
"The Governor may have his political or other intents to achieve, but he should desist from compounding issues, at least in the interest of the people who are endangered by his proposition and disdain for the Army in particular.
"Although the Army is briefing appropriate authorities on its operations and believes that appropriate response to Governor Jang's attack on the Army is forthcoming, it is necessary to reassure Nigerians that the Army is not involved in any complicity as suggested by Governor Jang through his numerous channels for blackmail. The Army will continue to make its vital inputs into the ongoing joint operations of the Special Task Force as duly mandated by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
"The Nigerian Army wishes to make it emphatically clear that it has no other interest in the state other than commitment to the operation and restoration of peace. The Army high command is working in concert with Defence Headquarters to guide the operations of the Joint Task Force in Plateau State towards achieving Government's intention of ensuring adequate security in the area as quickly as possible.
"The Army therefore appeals for the understanding of the public and stakeholders in particular to support the joint operations and ignore those who engage in all sorts of misinformation, unwarranted and provocative statements with the main vision of rubbishing Army's record of effectiveness. Meanwhile, the Army members of the joint task force are enjoined to remain focused and ignore attempts to dampen their morale in this critical national assignment," the statement read in part.
However, what the Army tends to deny is the obvious. Eye witness accounts allege that somehow, the military may have allowed itself to be used in the attack which is said to be the handiwork of the Fulani.
All eye witnesses spoken to pleaded not to have their name in print. But one of them suggested that soldiers may have helped to clear the way for the Fulani invaders.
He said: "I saw another group of them. There were military men in uniform, who were marching in front, and they were shooting, scaring people while Fulani men carrying machetes and clubs and axes were following them behind."
Asked how he knew the attackers were Fulani, he said: "I know they are Fulani because they were communicating in their language."
This witness' assertion that the attack was launched by Fulani people was corroborated by another witness who lost his wife and two kids.
He told Sunday Champion while standing over the bodies of his wife and children that "these are my wife Helen and two children, Joseph and Dorcas."
Narrating his experience, he said the invaders attacked at midnight, shooting into the air to scare them away before descending on women and children.
Asked what happened, he said: "hat happened was that Fulani people invaded our community from nowhere. I do not know where they came from. They just invaded and started killing our people. They killed my wife Helen and two kids, Joseph and Dorcas. The attackers were Fulani. As they were killing and burning our homes, they were chanting Allahu Akbar meaning God is Great."
Helpless and not knowing whether to shed tears as he looked at the corpses of his family members, this witness said, "I don't know where to start now."
Confirming identity of the invaders, another witness said they were Fulani adding that he saw them from a vantage position on a mango three. He said they numbered more than 200.
"I saw them. They are Fulani. They were shouting Allahu Akbar as the burnt houses and killed our people. When I heard the noise of the attack, I ran with my children. I took them away to a safe hiding place and then came back to find out if I could help others. As I was coming, I saw them approaching but they did not see me. As I was coming back, I saw them. They were many shouting Allahu Akbar. So to avoid being seen, I climbed a mango tree and watched as all of them passed. I saw them. They were Fulani. They were more than 200 and armed with machetes, axes and some of them had machine guns," he said.
Another witness, who obviously was a Police officer, however gave a graphic detail description of the attack. He said "the people who attacked hid somewhere in the bush and may have been there waiting till night fell."
He also stated that "when the information came to me, we prepared and came here but we saw nothing. And the people went to sleep. They probably were thinking that there would be no attack. But I think the attackers may have positioned themselves in the bush in the evening waiting."
When they started hearing gun shots, the men ran away and they now had the opportunity to start attacking and killing from house to house. It was when I came here that I saw people coming out of their hiding places," he added.
Speaking on the mode of the attack, the police officer said, "The attackers did not use guns on the bodies. There were no bullet wounds. The bodies were mutilated by machetes and clubs. But the use of gun can not be ruled out because some expelled bullet shells have been picked and they are there. One of the shells is from a sophisticated riffle which I do not know if it came from the Police or from them."
In the same manner, another resident of Dogo Nahawa, who survived the attack, told Sunday Champion that the people are now prepared to defend themselves. He said the people are now tired of military/police protection.
He said that most families were wiped out by the Fulani invaders.
He said: "Around 3am, some Fulani invaders came to this community. This community is called Dogo Nahawa. It is a very peaceful community. The invaders came and started killing people. As you can see, these three bodies are those of three kids of the same parents. Their father and mother were all killed. Now, the family is wiped out. An entire family wiped out in one night. What are we doing?"
Getting visibly angry, the witness said "what are we doing? Let us forget about this security and let them allow us to secure ourselves. They should allow us to protect ourselves. If the Fulani come back and can kill all of us, let them kill us. If we can kill all of them, let us kill them. Let us fight this once and for all and forget this security they are talking about. Let us stop running helter skelter looking for help. No, let us help ourselves. We cannot be fooling ourselves. Soldiers and police should be out of our place. That is what we now want. They are not helping matters. Let them go so that we can defend ourselves. It is before the security people that this thing is happened. So, let them disappear. I am saying this because if we see any security personnel here, in fact, we will deal with that person."
The people of Dogo Nahawa may have buried their dead. But it is doubtful if the pains they bear were interred along with the dead.
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