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Executive Director: Prof. Israel W. Charny, Ph.D.
Director of Holocaust and Genocide Review: Marc I Sherman, M.L.S.
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This project was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The contents of this website are the responsibility of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem.
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Violent Ethnic Clashes in Jos, Nigeria Erupt Again
Kolawole Salami
Issue 6, Spring 2011 G P N O R I G I N A L
In Issue 2 of GPN we published a report on "Genocidal Massacres in Plateau State Central Nigeria, including Direct Reports from Nigeria, and a Nigeria Timeline." This is an update on the current situation in Jos, by a colleague from Nigeria.
The latest attack involved the use of explosives planted at strategic places in Jos' north local government area on the eve of Xmas when shopping for the yuletide was at the peak. 11 people, mainly indigenous Christians, were confirmed dead following the explosions on 24th December (2010), while a further 27 were killed in reprisal attacks by Christian youth on Xmas day bringing the death toll to 38. Further skirmishes on the 26th and 27th December resulted in a further 42 deaths with 119 people sustaining serious injuries. Properties such as cars and houses were also burnt. Mosques and churches were vandalized.
The situation on the ground is so tense that even Nigeria's vice-president, Namadi Sambo, had to postpone his on the spot assessment of Jos. It is bewildering that the latest killings could still occur despite the very heavy military presence in Jos. It should be noted that the use of explosive devices represent a dangerous escalation of the crisis, as weapons that sophisticated were never used in the past.
A simultaneous Xmas day attack in the north eastern city of Maiduguri (about 320 miles northeast of Jos) on 2 churches led to the death of 6 people, including the pastor and choir members. The attack was initially blamed on a radical Islamic militia called ‘Boko Haram’ whose activities have caused carnage that resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives across northern Nigeria in 2009. However a declaration by a previously unknown, shadowy militant group called Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad claimed responsibility for both Jos and Maiduguri attacks as posted on a website http://mansoorah.net/sb_attacks.php, and although this claim is unsubstantiated, it appears a truly frightening new dimension.
No less worrying is the fact that a large consignment of weapons (13 containers), including explosives and rocket propelled grenades, allegedly loaded in Iran and deceptively labeled 'building materials' was seized at the Lagos seaport on the 30th October, 2010. As at press time, an Iranian ex-revolutionary guard member, Azim Aghajani and another Nigerian Muslim cleric and businessman of northern extraction, Ali Abbas Othman, are being tried. Although Israeli officials believed the arms were meant for Gaza, Nigeria’s state security agents insisted all available information shows that the arms were meant for Nigeria. For whom in Nigeria and for what purpose? Similar cases of arms seizure are frequently documented at Nigeria’s port. Could there be an element of foreign complicity in the Jos crisis? There are also strong insinuations that desperate politicians in Nigeria may be behind the recent escalation.
For now though, there are more questions than answers in Jos.
The author of this piece, Kolawole Salami, MBBS, PgCert, MBA, MPH is a professional in public health from Nigeria who is well known to the editors.
Sources:
Shobayo I, Idowu S, with Agency Report. (28 Dec, 2010). Jos: 80 dead, 119 hospitalised -NEMA •20 houses burnt •Task force halts burning of worship centre •Arrests 3 •14 bodies buried •Jos bombings masterminded by expansionists -Reps caucus. Nigerian Tribune. http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/15353-jos-80-dead-119-hospitalised-nema-20-houses-burnt-task-force-halts-burning-of-worship-centre-arrests-3-14-bodies-buried-jos-bombings-masterminded-by-expansionists-reps-caucus
Ukandi U, Archibong E. (27 Dec, 2010). Sambo shelves visit to Jos. 234Next.com Timbuktu Media. http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5658232-147/sambo_shelves_visit_to_jos_.csp
Adepegba A, Soriwei F. (28 Dec, 2010). Jos Bombings: Islamic group claims responsibility. The Punch. http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010122855395
BBC News. (25, Nov, 2010). Iranian man charged in Nigeria over arms shipment. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11843366
Nigerian News Service (29 Oct, 2010). Seized bombs were meant for Gaza Strip – Israel. http://www.nigeriannewsservice.com/nns-news-archive/lead-stories/seized-bombs-were-meant-for-gaza-strip-%E2%80%93-israel
Adepegba A. (11 Nov, 2010). Seized rockets meant for Nigeria, not Gaza – SSS. The Punch. http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101111358539
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Tags:
Africa
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Christians
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Muslims
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Nigeria
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Violence
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