Date Published: 03/09/10

Jos Massacre: HURIWA calls for armed civil defence in villages 

The Federal government has been tasked to demonstrate practical political will to protect the lives and property of Nigerians by posting armed operatives of the Nigerian civil defence Corps to the villages and remote areas across Nigeria to prevent re-occurrence of the spate of premeditated ethnic cleansing and mass killings that took place in parts of Jos-South Plateau state. 

Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HURIWA,  a democracy inclined and development focused non-governmental body in a statement by its national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and senior program manager Barrister Ogom Kifordu condemned in no uncertain terms the killing of over 200 people by suspected Hausa-Fulani militia who had descended from the hills to attack Dogo Na-Hawa, Ratsat and Jeji villages in Foron district, Jos South local government area of Plateau state at about 2 am on Sunday March 7 th 2010. Majority of the citizens killed are children and women from the Christian dominated Berom speaking communities. 

Media reports specifically stated that some of the fighters were said to have positioned themselves at strategic entrances to the villages, while others went in and began to set houses on fire. Those who made to escape were butchered while others were shot. 

In January Jos North witnessed an orgy of killings which left over five hundred persons of diverse ethnic and religious affiliations dead with dozens of properties wiped out in premeditated infernos started by fighters. The state has remained under dusk to-to dawn curfew since the January killings. 

The Rights group which also called for the immediate redeployment of the General officer commanding the 3 rd Brigade based in Jos for the failure of his operatives (soldiers) to intervene and save the innocent citizens from mass killings by the suspected pastoralists also demanded the independent probe by the United Nations of the widespread allegations that some suspected operatives of the Nigerian Army participated in the mass 2010 killing in Jos that took place in January. 

HURIWA which listed the spate of religious and ethnic motivated hate crimes of genocidal killings in parts of Jos, Plateau state as well as other parts of the North as another sign that Nigeria is failing, challenged the Federal government to play its constitutional role of providing security and welfare of Nigerians before it is too late. 

Suggesting practical solution to the incessant cases of ethnic and religious unrests in the country, the group which had consistently opposed the proposal by the Federal government to provide arms and ammunitions to operatives of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps said it was prepared to welcome the decision to arm the civil defence operatives provided they would be sent to work in remote villages and rural areas to compliment the services of the operatives of the Nigeria police to safe guard citizens from all traces of ethnic, religious or political killings or unrests. 

HURIWA said: “we have reviewed our decision on the proposal by government to provide arms and ammunitions to the operatives of the Nigerian Civil defence Corp because of the prevailing atmosphere of fear, apprehensions and hatred and the incessant inter-ethnic and religious violence.” 

“We initially opposed the plan to arm the civil defence operatives because we believed that it would lead to the over-militarization of Nigeria. But we are prepared to welcome the federal governments’ decision to provide weapons to the civil defence operatives if only they will only be posted to protect Nigerians and civil populace in the rural areas and not to protect political office holders,” Huriwa stated.