Guardian: Police ban rallies in Plateau

[NewsCaster]

AS the crises in Plateau  continue to claim the lives of  people  in the state, the police  have banned protests or procession .

The state police command said that such demonstrations should stop till further notice as the situation was not conducive for them  now.

In a statement yesterday by the Command's Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammed Lerama,  the police said that it appreciated the understanding and cooperation of residents in the state, but added that the police would not tolerate anything that had the potential to cause unrest.

Besides, about 385 cattle and 27 rams abandoned after the January 27 attacks in Jong, Napong, bin Susut, Lohala and Dorowa Babuje communities are now awaiting collection by their rightful owners. According to Lerama, those with credible evidence of ownership should report to the Barkin Ladi Divisional Police Office to claim their herd.

In the same statement, he reported the killing of the driver of a Toyota Corolla car with registration number BE 199 MGU in which two others were rescued at a boundary along Vom-Kuru Road.

He also disclosed that two other persons on a motorcycle with registration number 2C 122 BBM had been killed at the same place. He disclosed that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, had mounted round-the-clock stop and search police points around the area to arrest those attacking the people.

Also, the Borno State government has condemned the calls for the imposition of a  'state of emergency' by the Federal Government, stating that such measures  would  not stop the serial attacks and killings by the suspected Boko Haram sect members.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the Musa Usman secretariat complex, Maiduguri, Information Commissioner, Abubakar Kyari said: "The call for an emergency rule in Borno, is not only unpatriotic, but could compound the insecurity of lives and property in Borno State and the neighbouring states of Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe in the North-East sub-region of the country."

Kyari, however, noted that the state had enjoyed democracy for about 12 years, maintaining that it was disheartening that some individuals would be calling for an emergency rule, adding: "We do not believe what is happening in Bono now warrants the imposition of a state of emergency. We should rather condemn the mindless attacks and killings by the suspected Boko Haram armed sect members that claimed over 100 lives since the July, 2010 reprisals."

He said it was worrisome to assume the Sheriff government had failed to provide security when the police and army whose constitutional responsibility was to provide security were targets of attacks by serial killers.

The information chief therefore assured that government would not falter in its responsibility to ensure security of lives and property in the state.

While calling on the people to be security conscious, he stressed that dismantling the democratic institutions would not be the solution to the security challenges in the state.

Already, Nigerian students in Europe have threatened to take over the country's embassies  in Europe and  North America if President Goodluck Jonathan failed to stop the carnage in Jos and other parts of Nigeria.

A letter from the international  secretariat of the  Association of Nigerian Students International(ANSI) to the president expressed dismay that  rather than the political class proffering a   solution to the crisis in Jos, it was rather preoccupied with its  re-election.

ANSI-Europe President,  Ndupu Franklin   and Secretary, Bonaventure Ugwu, in the letter made available to The Guardian, pointed out that it was because  life  was precious that every nation made it the sole responsibility of government to protect it, irrespective of their citizens' age , gender or social status.

"It is sorrowful that in our great country it is the  opposite. We do not care neither do we cater for or care for the  lives of our citizens, especially the poor and under-privileged.  We see their lives as unimportant as they do not play any  major political roles in our country."

According to the  students , there is nowhere in the Nigerian constitution  that speculates that individuals have the right by any means  they  deem appropriate to take away the lives of other Nigerian citizens.

"We as the people of Nigeria should be ashamed of what is going on in the Northern part of Nigeria,  precisely Jos,  Plateau State of Nigeria. In less than one month, not less than 40 innocent Nigerian citizens  have lost their lives. These are the citizens who contribute  their  little quotas to the Nigerian socio-political , religious, economic and political environment. These are the people  whose vote you count on to win your presidential race," ASNI said.

ASNI expressed disappointment that President Jonathan had not been able to proffer a  lasting solution to the Jos crisis. The students said they were irked by the president's seeming obsession with his political ambition rather than concentrating on takling the numerous challenges facing the country.

"While we are calling on our Nigerian colleagues in North and South America, Asia, and Africa towards joining us in this campaign, be assured that we will   stop all business activities in all Nigerian embassies all  over  the world if the situation is not addressed," they said.

The students who pointed out that , "life is golden, life is respectable, life is liveable",  urged  the President  to deploy  the necessary machinery  towards putting a stop to the inhumane  acts going on in Jos and other parts of Nigeria.

"Mr. President show that our nation has lost citizens, show that it has lost lives, show  that the nation is grieving and it is this that we humbly ask you to do," said ASNI.

Similarly,  the Student Parliament of the University of Jos has urged the Commander, Special Task Force (STF), Brig-Gen. Hassan Umaru, to ensure that his men strictly adhere to the rules of engagement.

Speaker of the Students Union Government, Emmanuel Patrick, who made the appeal in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, recalled that students who protested last week were shot at by men in uniform even though they were not armed. The institution was billed to resume academic activities yesterday as directed by the institution's Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden after a consultative meeting with the management. But lectures could not hold as no concrete plans were on ground especially  as regards means of transportation.

The  parliament  lauded the management for resuscitating the academic activities, and government for the provision of the needed security within the school environment.

Patrick, however, warned students to avoid spreading rumours but instead report any information on  insecurity to the nearest available authority. He equally advised the students to keep calm and remain peaceful as they had always been known for, adding that they should avoid unnecessary use of means of transportation other than the cabs and buses the school management had promised.

Community leaders and traditional rulers in Plateau State have also   been told to preach peace in their respective domains as part of the peace-building process. The Director, Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos, Dr. Audu Gambo, stated this yesterday at a two-day capacity building workshop for the traditional rulers and community leaders in the state.

Opening  the workshop at the Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre, Jos, Gambo urged the participants to strive hard in averting any future crisis in their respective domains, adding that the state had experienced a lot of  conflicts and urged the warring groups or factions to close ranks and allow peace to reign.

Besides, thousands of women whose husbands and children were killed in the series of crises in Jos  yesterday  staged a peaceful rally, marching through the streets to show their grievances over the recurrent crises and to show support for a continued stay of the military in Plateau State contrary to the earlier agitation against the military.

The women who were mostly Muslims wore white attire with a red band while carrying placards with inscriptions "Bama son zalunci, muna son soja" (we don't want injustice), "No to removal of soldiers" and "There are also Muslims on the Plateau."  They marched peacefully and sang  in Arabic and Hausa songs.

Spokesman of the women who also led the rally, Hajiya Khadija Gambo Hawaja read an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan before the crowd. She said the government of Plateau had neglected the Muslim populace in the state since the November 2008 crisis, saying there was no infrastructure in the Muslim-dominated areas.

And determined to find a lasting solution to internecine crises in Plateau and Borno States, the three main committees constituted by the Federal Government and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) would in two  weeks  meet on the issue.

According to the National Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje yesterday in Ilorin, every right-thinking Nigerian should be concerned with the magnitude of destruction of lives and property in the two states.

While fielding reporters' questions on the occasion of the celebration of his 60th birthday,  Baarje said the committee jointly headed by the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar 111 and the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and the committees of Service Chiefs, Traditional Rulers and the Elders of the PDP would brainstorm on the issues and proffer the needed solutions to them.

 

 






Source: Police ban rallies in Plateau