Let Me Start The Day Off With A Recap Of The Banana Republic Of Nigeria.
Jos crisis: Saving Nigeria from the brinks
By Emeka Umeagbalasi
In Nigeria today, it is violent crimes everywhere, ranging from the October 1st 2010 bomb blasts in Abuja to the Tuesday, January 11, 2011 early morning massacre of 13 innocent members of Christian families in Wareng Village, near Jos, Plateau State .
Before this latest abominable massacre, there were four bomb blasts in and around same Jos on December 24, 2010, which reportedly killed over 80 people and injured over 120 others.
In early January 2011, some militant Christian youths reportedly ambushed a bus carrying some Muslim faithful and about eight of them, including a Christian attacker were reportedly killed. Again, on Saturday, January 8, 2011, Christian traders trading at Dilinea/Terminus Market in Jos were violently attacked by some armed Muslim youths and scores of people, including some Igbo traders were reportedly killed.
There were also reports of other skeletal killings, especially in and around Jos since the xmas eve bomb attacks in the city. It may be correct to say that at least 150 innocent people have been killed since December 24, 2010 in a new wave of violent clashes between the indigenes of Jos and their guest settlers on one hand, and Christians and Muslim fanatics on the other hand .
Since the Jos violent conflicts erupted in 2001, over 3,500 people might have been killed. In 2010 alone, over 800 people were believed to have been killed. In September 2001, as many as 1,000 deaths were reportedly recorded. In May 2004 violent conflict that swept the city of Yelwa in Southern Plateau State, over 700 deaths were reportedly recorded. In November 2008, another estimated 700 killings were reported in a sectarian violence that rocked the city of Jos.
The Nigeria Police Force also reportedly participated in the abominable killings. The internationally respected human rights watchdog, the Human Rights Watch stated in one of its reports that it recorded at least 133 cases of unlawful killings by the Nigeria Police-led security forces. On January 17, 2010, more violent clashes erupted in Kuru Karama, near Jos, resulting in the death of over 150 people and scores of injuries.
On Sunday, May 7, 2010, the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Rassat in Jos South council were violently attacked by suspected armed herds’ men at about 3.00am, resulting in the death of over 400 people, mainly children, women and the aged. There are also credible reports of other violent attack directed at the innocent Christian worshipers and burning of their churches in Borno and Bauchi States.
This is not to talk of the military barracks bomb blasts of December 31, 2010 in Abuja, the Yanegoa bomb attack and the Boko Haram fanaticism in some old Northern States. In the case of unending killings in Jos, it is totally worrisome that the nation’s 700,000-person security forces could not arrest the situation.
Day in day out, the killings continually took dangerous dimensions. What started as mere indigene-ship and economic rights disputes have been allowed to grow wings to the extent that the patterns of the conflicts have gone scientific, political and religious. Improvised explosive devices are now freely and cheaply used and successfully detonated with incalculable civilian casualties. The violent conflicts are no longer between the indigenes and the settlers alone; they have dragged the South easterners, Christians and Muslims into the conflicts.
Yet the political leaders in Plateau State are busy going for the reelections or elections, when the people to be governed by them are being slaughtered in droves.
Unfortunately, this is a society where things are taking for granted including election rigging, otherwise who in his or her senses would elect the present occupants of the elective seats in Plateau State if elections are to be credibly held.
The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces seems not to know the meaning of being the Commander-in- Chief let alone knowing the express commandment of Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999(security of the Nigerian citizens). In this type of situation, for instance, leaving strategic security commands in the hands of senior officers from the same troubled zones will further aggravate the violent conflicts and divide their ranks along ethnic and religious lines.
There ought to be routine movements of the said senior security chiefs, and possibly the combatants and their replacements with, say officers and men from the South-South and South West zones.
The more neutral security agencies, such as the SSS and the NIA may be allowed to stay so as to provide those to be posted with conflict mapping and tracking techniques as well as other terrain information. In traditional military reward and sanction culture, officers are promoted and decorated for their gallant performances in quelling or managing conflicts, but in the case of Nigeria, officers are rewarded when failed and sanctioned when performed gallantly.
An IG of Police is rewarded and promoted in Nigeria simply because he did a former Governor’s bidding as a Commissioner of Police during the former Governor’s governorship, and not because he failed woefully as an AIG in-charge of a turbulent zonal command, which of course, would have earned him severe sanction if it were in an organised society.
The continued abominable killings enveloping Plateau State have gotten out of hand and there is a limit to which a people can tolerate such senseless butchering that go with impunity. Nigeria will be sitting on a keg of gunpowder unless these abominable killings are abated to raise their ugly heads no more.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. It is totally sad that after 50 years of country-hood, Nigeria has dangerously chosen to remain a consociation democratic country, rather than transforming into a prosperous nation-hood, where deep ethnic divisions, religious bigotry, pen-robbery and other vices shall be a thing of the permanent past.
By Emeka Umeagbalasi
In Nigeria today, it is violent crimes everywhere, ranging from the October 1st 2010 bomb blasts in Abuja to the Tuesday, January 11, 2011 early morning massacre of 13 innocent members of Christian families in Wareng Village, near Jos, Plateau State .
Before this latest abominable massacre, there were four bomb blasts in and around same Jos on December 24, 2010, which reportedly killed over 80 people and injured over 120 others.
In early January 2011, some militant Christian youths reportedly ambushed a bus carrying some Muslim faithful and about eight of them, including a Christian attacker were reportedly killed. Again, on Saturday, January 8, 2011, Christian traders trading at Dilinea/Terminus Market in Jos were violently attacked by some armed Muslim youths and scores of people, including some Igbo traders were reportedly killed.
There were also reports of other skeletal killings, especially in and around Jos since the xmas eve bomb attacks in the city. It may be correct to say that at least 150 innocent people have been killed since December 24, 2010 in a new wave of violent clashes between the indigenes of Jos and their guest settlers on one hand, and Christians and Muslim fanatics on the other hand .
Since the Jos violent conflicts erupted in 2001, over 3,500 people might have been killed. In 2010 alone, over 800 people were believed to have been killed. In September 2001, as many as 1,000 deaths were reportedly recorded. In May 2004 violent conflict that swept the city of Yelwa in Southern Plateau State, over 700 deaths were reportedly recorded. In November 2008, another estimated 700 killings were reported in a sectarian violence that rocked the city of Jos.
The Nigeria Police Force also reportedly participated in the abominable killings. The internationally respected human rights watchdog, the Human Rights Watch stated in one of its reports that it recorded at least 133 cases of unlawful killings by the Nigeria Police-led security forces. On January 17, 2010, more violent clashes erupted in Kuru Karama, near Jos, resulting in the death of over 150 people and scores of injuries.
On Sunday, May 7, 2010, the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Rassat in Jos South council were violently attacked by suspected armed herds’ men at about 3.00am, resulting in the death of over 400 people, mainly children, women and the aged. There are also credible reports of other violent attack directed at the innocent Christian worshipers and burning of their churches in Borno and Bauchi States.
This is not to talk of the military barracks bomb blasts of December 31, 2010 in Abuja, the Yanegoa bomb attack and the Boko Haram fanaticism in some old Northern States. In the case of unending killings in Jos, it is totally worrisome that the nation’s 700,000-person security forces could not arrest the situation.
Day in day out, the killings continually took dangerous dimensions. What started as mere indigene-ship and economic rights disputes have been allowed to grow wings to the extent that the patterns of the conflicts have gone scientific, political and religious. Improvised explosive devices are now freely and cheaply used and successfully detonated with incalculable civilian casualties. The violent conflicts are no longer between the indigenes and the settlers alone; they have dragged the South easterners, Christians and Muslims into the conflicts.
Yet the political leaders in Plateau State are busy going for the reelections or elections, when the people to be governed by them are being slaughtered in droves.
Unfortunately, this is a society where things are taking for granted including election rigging, otherwise who in his or her senses would elect the present occupants of the elective seats in Plateau State if elections are to be credibly held.
The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces seems not to know the meaning of being the Commander-in- Chief let alone knowing the express commandment of Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999(security of the Nigerian citizens). In this type of situation, for instance, leaving strategic security commands in the hands of senior officers from the same troubled zones will further aggravate the violent conflicts and divide their ranks along ethnic and religious lines.
There ought to be routine movements of the said senior security chiefs, and possibly the combatants and their replacements with, say officers and men from the South-South and South West zones.
The more neutral security agencies, such as the SSS and the NIA may be allowed to stay so as to provide those to be posted with conflict mapping and tracking techniques as well as other terrain information. In traditional military reward and sanction culture, officers are promoted and decorated for their gallant performances in quelling or managing conflicts, but in the case of Nigeria, officers are rewarded when failed and sanctioned when performed gallantly.
An IG of Police is rewarded and promoted in Nigeria simply because he did a former Governor’s bidding as a Commissioner of Police during the former Governor’s governorship, and not because he failed woefully as an AIG in-charge of a turbulent zonal command, which of course, would have earned him severe sanction if it were in an organised society.
The continued abominable killings enveloping Plateau State have gotten out of hand and there is a limit to which a people can tolerate such senseless butchering that go with impunity. Nigeria will be sitting on a keg of gunpowder unless these abominable killings are abated to raise their ugly heads no more.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. It is totally sad that after 50 years of country-hood, Nigeria has dangerously chosen to remain a consociation democratic country, rather than transforming into a prosperous nation-hood, where deep ethnic divisions, religious bigotry, pen-robbery and other vices shall be a thing of the permanent past.
Labels: Abject Corruption
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 8:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home