WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE PENTECOSTAL FELLOWSHIP OF NIGERIA (PFN) PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER ON MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2010.

TOPIC: THE FULFILMENT OF OUR UNHEEDED WARNINGS ABOUT PLANS TO DISRUPT THE FRAGILE PEACE ON THE PLATEAU.

INTRODUCTUON

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

You may recall that we addressed a World Press Conference on 28th December, 2009, to alert you and the world about rumors of plans to burn churches and murder pastors and Christian leaders in Jos in the near future.

In the conference we had appealed to the planners of these dastardly acts to desist from their evil intentions.  We had also suggested to the government of Da Jonah David Jang and security operatives in the state to take specific actions to forestall any possibility of such acts repeating themselves.  We thank the state government for steps taken along side our suggestions. 

GENESIS OF RIOTS AND EXTENT OF CASUALTIES

This notwithstanding, our fears have been confirmed sooner than we thought.  On Sunday, January 17, 2010, worshippers at ECWA Church Yan Trailer, and other churches in Nasarawa Gwom, Jos, were rudely interrupted by armed Muslim youths, shouting “Allahwu akbaar”, who descended upon them with dangerous weapons and began to kill and maim them without any provocation at all.  That expectedly led to skirmishes within and beyond the premises of the church.  Within days the carnage spread like wild fires to most parts of Jos and Bukuru metropolis.

As at the time of this Press Conference, eye witness reports reaching us indicate that over 600 innocent and defenseless Christians have been murdered in cold blood.   Over a thousand injured and more than 3000 people have been displaced from their homes leading to a pathetic humanitarian problem.  Four ECWA churches namely; ECWA Rikkos, (destroyed in the 2008 crisis, but rebuilt and then re-destroyed in January 2010), ECWA Bishara 1, Bukuru (one of the oldest church buildings in Jos, a tourist icon), ECWA Jos Jarawa, ECWA, Mai Adiko, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Bukuru, Assemblies of God, Bukuru, Church of God Mission, Bukuru and many others were burnt or badly destroyed.  This is apart from business premises, homes, schools, etc, which were also damaged. The pastor’s house of ECWA Church Mai Adiko was totally burnt down; the pastor and his family barely escaped with his family. 

A similar invasion took place at the ECWA church Nasarawa by military personnel.  The pastor’s office, house, and bedroom were forcefully entered in his and family’s absence, file cabinets ransacked and all their soft drinks purchased for guests who were attending a leadership seminar in the church were drank up and other things looted. Churches, houses and cars belonging to about 10 PFN pastors in Bukuru were burnt and damaged.   

We sympathize with all those who have lost loved ones and valuable properties.  May God give you all the grace to bear these irreplaceable losses.  

The world was made aware that this was a well-planned, long timed, systemized approach to jihad Jos, when during the August 2009 Boko Haram crisis the Chief Imam of Bauchi, Sheik Mohammed Bala Ahmed, revealed to the Press in August 2009 (reported by Saturday Vanguard of August 1, 2009 front page and continued in pages 10-11; and some other national dailies in Nigeria) that the Boko Haram fighters were a group of 3,800 Nigerians trained as fighters in Sudan who were specially targeted for the fight in Jos. 

He said, “…those terrorists were trained by the Talibans.  They came to Bauchi in January after they had trained 3,800 in Sudan last year (2008).  They usually meet in mosques.  They gather the young ones and start training them, preparing the attack of Jos and the Christians in Northern Nigeria.”

Since the Jos fight had waned they stepped down to train others in the bushes surrounding Bauchi and other places in the nation.  They then turned this violent spirit on the city during the last Bauchi Boko Haram crisis.  These trained fighters are the reason why the Jos crisis cannot end.  These special Taliban-trained fighters brought into our dear city of peace insist on trying out their wicked acquired killing skills. 

Until this root is traced and totally excised we see our city still smoking in their hands even without provocation.  There is no denying the fact that some innocent Muslims were also affected by reactions but this could have been wholly avoided if the Sunday morning attacks by these Talibans trained fighters did not happen.

It is to be noted that a systematic programme of ethnic cleansing is being undertaken by the Hausa/Fulani in Jos.  The present happenings prove to us that there is the motive to ethnically cleanse Jos by the Hausa/Fulani; since the 2001 crisis when Angwan Rogo was initially cleansed of all Christians it has been systematically followed by the same cleansing of all ethnic groups that are not Hausa/Fulani in the following flashpoints: Nasarawa Gwong, Congo Russia, Bauchi Road, Angwan Rimi, Angwan Rogo, Kwanan Shagari/Katako (Rafin Pa), Sabon Layi, Ali Kazaure, Masallacin Idi, University of Jos, College of Forestry, Dogon Karfe, Kasuawan kaji, Masallacin Jumma’a, Kwararafa, Gangare, Rikkos, Yan Shanu, to mention but a few.  It is in this vain that Yoruba Muslims and Muslims from other tribes other than the Hausa/Fulani extraction have also been displaced alongside Christians from these flashpoints. 

It should be noted that up to date in all areas of Jos south we have Muslim communities living happily with Christians which cannot be said of flashpoint areas in Jos where the Hausa/Fulani insist on living in exclusion to every other nationality.  This peace in Jos South has finally been ruptured by the January 2010 happenings with the same Hausa/Fulani ethnic cleansing aimed at eliminating everything that is not like them.  It also surprises us that during the curfew supposed to be kept in place by soldiers, Muslims call sallah at midnight and early hours of the morning from their mosques.  How do they get to the mosques to do so?  Are they exempted from the curfew?  Or is it soldiers doing so?  Do they have the right to do so during a crisis situation with a curfew in place?

ROLES PLAYED BY SOME INDIVIDUALS TO QUELL OR ESCALATE THE VIOLENCE

The State Commissioner of Police Mr Greg Ayanting and his team deserve to be commended for their brave efforts by, first giving the conflict the right definition and deploying police men as rapidly as they did in response to happenings.  This resulted in an immediate cessation of hostilities, only for us to experience an escalation on Tuesday 19th January 2010.

By reports reaching us the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 3rd Armored Division, Major General Saleh Maina, and some other officers were alleged to have performed some uncommendable roles. Soldiers were seen at certain parts of the city just watching Muslim youths shooting people and burning places without any efforts to stop them.  This leaves us wondering why such a Muslim could be made a GOC of such a volatile region as Jos which has witnessed so many Muslim-inspired riots already; vis, Bauchi, Potiskum and Maiduguri riots.

We opine that the process of selecting and posting GOCs nationwide must be made open and reviewed and brought under the direct supervision of the National Assembly seeing that Nigeria has degenerated into a fanatical Islamic riotous situation.  The condition where one man makes the choice of all the five GOCs may not augur well for the peaceful co-existence of this nation.

We are appalled to even further reveal that out of the five GOCs four of them are Muslims and only one is not; we wonder what happened to Federal character.  As if that was not bad enough, the Chief Security Adviser to the President, Director of Military Intelligence, are all Muslims with strong views.  From information we gathered, they are also very strongly influenced by the opinionated Secretary to the Federal Government who is also a Muslim with strong views.  Where was Nigeria when all these appointments were being made?  We who live in crisis-prone areas take the brunt of such arrangements.  Such leaders refuse to make that vital call during crises as long as the fight favors Muslims.

REFUTING SOME MEDIA REPORTS

We wish to refute some local and international media reports which have speculated that the recent riots were occasioned by disagreements over the rebuilding of a house burnt in the 2008 riots, or the stampede caused by football playing youths, among other theories.  From all indications, a carefully planned mayhem was visited upon unsuspecting Christian worshippers on a Sunday morning worship service!  What we and all Nigerians want to know is why some people have decided to destabilize Jos and Plateau state by all means.  What could be the reason for this?  Is it because some people are bent on making the country ungovernable in order to facilitate and justify a military takeover of power to forestall a possibility of power drift from their grip?  This reason is plausible given the controversies and uncertainties that accompany the ill-health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the prospects of his return to resume leadership.

Whatever the possible reason for this terror-like attack, we believe the government at all levels must take decisive actions to safeguard the lives and properties of innocent Nigerians. 

SUGGESTIONS OF WAY FORWARD

To that end we would like to suggest the following measures.

1. Government must implement findings and recommendations of previous investigative panels and commissions.   Enough of all use-less tribunals and panels of enquiries whose reports never get attended to or implemented.  All the past recommendations must be implemented to the letter or else we shall rouse the church to keep vigils at government house until those past recommendations are implemented.  The reason for this incessant religious bigotism is because decisive actions have never been taken.  Enough is enough.

2.The state government is advised to form her own Anti Religious Riot Vigilante group (ARRIVE) to work as the first response group to any uprising before the police arrive.  They should be well trained in surveillance, intelligence, security and brute self defense.  This will find its counterpart in the Shari’a implementation vigilante in many northern states.

3.The phenomenon of fake security personnel/mercenaries in army uniforms and weapons which have become a regular feature in all religious riots in the state since 2001 should be properly looked into and a permanent solution found.  If not, the confidence of ordinary Nigerians will be badly shaken in our security agents with portentous consequences.  To stem this, citizens should be sensitized to stand up for their rights by not allowing any uniformed officer during any riot into their homes without government issued search warrant.  Samples of such search warrants must be made known to the populace and the procedure to such searches must be of common knowledge.  Any body without such legal warrant must be resisted and security operatives called immediately.  Also, the over 60 fake soldiers arrested and handed over to the Nigerian Army should be adequately sanctioned, including the 26 armed mercenaries arrested in Jos after the 2008 riots in Jos.

4.Related to the point above is the allegation of religious polarization of some of our security agents.  Many Christian victims have complained that some soldiers operating from an apparent hidden script opened fire on unsuspecting citizens in several areas of Jos.  Can anyone imagine what happens to Nigeria if all security agents sent to quell religious riots decide to pitch tent with people of their own faith?  This issue must be carefully looked into and measures taken to forestall recurrence.

5.We request that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Greg Ayanting be commended for his brave work.  We hear that there are calls by some enemies of progress for his removal; this should never be contemplated.  If he has been removed already then he should be returned to his duty post.

6.The GOC should be thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities and redeployed. 

7.We request that the GOC posting nationwide should be re-adjusted.

CONCLUSION

We would like in conclusion to commend Governor Da Jonah David Jang and his government for the measures taken to contain this unprovoked carnage on the good people of Plateau state.  We call upon all well-meaning members of the public to join hands with the Jang government to prevent enemies of progress within and outside the state from destabilizing the state.  Let us support the governor to continue with his unprecedented strides of development in the state.  Let us all unite despite the losses we all may have incurred, to prove to our detractors that they cannot break our resolve.  May God preserve, Jos, Plateau state and Nigeria.

Thank you all,

Sincerely yours,

Rev Dr Sam Alaha                                                            Rev Isaac Komolafe

State Chairman of PFN                                                    State Secretary of PFN