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Jos Killings: Nigerians, Wake Government From Sleep And Stop Poking Religious Fingers On Each Other

Published

4 years ago

August 20, 2021

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Jos Killings: Nigerians, Wake Government From Sleep And Stop Poking Religious Fingers On Each Other

By: James Bwala, Maiduguri

Nigerians of conscience have been asking questions over the recent killings in Jos. Not only about the killings of 25 Muslim travellers but also about killings of some innocent Christians – farmers and travellers, whose blood the earth sucks in want for the killers but never satisfied for the ten, for one hundred and for the thousands killed. Wailing in the mosque and wailing in Church has not stopped the wailing on our streets and the poking of fingers continued. But what has the government done and what is the government doing now?

An audio record has been on circulation since Sunday the 15th of August 2021 and barely a day after the sad Saturday incident 14th of August, 2021 when a convoy of five buses, conveying Fulani Muslim travellers, who were travelling from Bauchi to Ondo state in Southwest Nigeria were stopped along Rukuba road and hacked to death. Some had asked what is the connection between going to Ondo with Rukuba road? But that is left for investigation another day.

Muslims and Christians with long voices have been calling for the heads of those who perpetrated this ugly act of damnation. But the audio being circulated did not portray the presumed innocent Muslims killed as innocent as we have been echoing since the dastatible and unfortunate blood spilling along the Rukuba road if that audio was the true genesis of the attack in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.

The audio in which two indigenes of Plateau state and Christians were caught discussing or rather one asking the other the truth about the resultant attack on the Hausa-Fulani travellers was never captured in all the statements, Press Conferences and Police as well as Government explanations to the current situation. This brings a lot of probes about the sincerity of those clamouring for the heads of those arrested if that audio was the fact that is being hidden to the public.

Like I said in my previous writings. I still condemn in totality whatever situation that warrants whatever action that informed many unfortunate situations in Nigeria today. I believe it is time for both Christians and Muslims to stop blaming each other over the circumstances that are bringing rage in the hearts of people. Nigeria is not a lawless country thus it is time for the people to begin to demand from the government about the bloodletting in the country.

The reaction of the Nigerian Police and both the Federal and State government in swiftly acting on the attack on Muslim travellers raises a lot of questions looking at their actions on similar attacks prior to the current matters on the ground. One may be tempted to ask if this government is sincere about allegations of lopsidedness on the part of the administration of the Nigerian states.

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The monumental failure of this government has further expanded trust amongst Nigerians especially Christians and Muslims of the far wings. Liberal Christians and Muslims still enjoy good relationships but it would be an honour if they begin to talk to those far wing believers who are willing at all times to go for the punch.

I have reported incidents boiling and heart failing in the Bassa local government area of Plateau state. And I have also reported about those travellers who were said to be returning from a religious programme in Bauchi organised by the Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi Foundation to mark the Islamic new year.

According to the audio in circulation, there was an ambulance in front of the travelling buses. The audio, as well as sources in Jos, claimed that when the buses were asked to stop for checks following suspicion of their movement, the said ambulance moved ahead disengaging from the rest of the convoy but the youths barricade the road ahead forcing the ambulance carrying a casket to stop.

One of the speakers in the audio said when that casket has opened the youths discovered that it was not carrying a corpse after all but guns, a situation which resulted in the youths pounding on those travellers resulting in the ugly events on that fateful Saturday 14 of August 2021, to say the least. This is from lowly voices not heard on the matters arising from the attack that once again if not treated with caution may result in a clash between the two religions in Nigeria who is claiming to be the champions of peace.

It is rather unfortunate that 25 travellers were killed. No one can bring them back no matter the blood for blood suggestions making the round. Whether they are innocent and victims of religious intolerance that is brewing in the country or some mercenaries employed to carry out another unforgiven act in the name of religion is left for whoever wants to take the side he or she deems it fit. But the truth is that taking sides and not standing by the truth has been the problem of Nigeria and its people from time immemorial and nothing was achieved in the game but bloody hands on each other’s neck. This has bred more and more hatred as we see among the people fashion to live in an indivisible nation as we always claimed.

The lopsided approach in dealing with matters of the religion concerned by our government and security operatives is fast dragging Nigeria into another civil war. And like the late General Odumegwu Ojukwu would say, ‘ There is no pride in war!’ Therefore, it is time for the like of the Northern groups and people like Nasirudin Sheriff as well as others whose media addresses was basically speaking from one side of their lips to know that on that fateful day ahead of the 25 travellers killed in Plateau state, there were corpses of Christians heading for the burial who was also killed in cold blood by blood-seeking far wing Muslims down the road.

While Nigeria and Nigerians mourn their death, the President will indeed go into history as a failure, a situation which he told the security chiefs he wouldn’t want to happen. If his words were coming from a bleeding heart as the nation was at rage with emotions running high and voices of condemnation renting the atmosphere with people running to the press to air their voices over the sad incidences then and only then would President Buhari leave in peace with himself after leaving office and not be tagged as a failure.

It was believed that the actions and inactions of the Nigerian Security especially the police in Plateau state
has continued to fuel ethnic and religious crises since the killing of 70 Christians in Yelwa, 2001. Tension amongst both the Christians and Muslims in Jos grow dangerously and informing attacks and counter-attacks between the indigenes and settlers.

In Bassa local government recently a school headmaster loved by all villagers was killed near a military checkpoint and his corpse was buried and the government was quiet about it. Within the same week, so many people were killed in a snake attack and their villages were burnt. This the government did not react to calm nerves around and amongst villages and villagers boiling over the inaction of our security agencies. This is a failure of the state and its government because non of these attacks brought the kind of stereotyping acts being put on display over the killing that happened along the Rukuba Road in Jos. The government must be held responsible by both the Christians and Muslims in Plateau state over this unfortunate and barbaric blood spilling.

The Saturday attack was not the first time travellers would be so attacked and hacked to death. Many attacks had happened not only in the Jos axis with blood on the hands of both Muslims and Christian youths who carried out such attacks and killed innocent travellers. From the time of Obasanjo a so-called Christians to this time under Buhari a so-called Muslim, Nigerians have died in thousands but the people instead of waking the government from sleep they are shouting and reminding each other how deceitful they have been contrary to the teachings of their religious beliefs.

Related Topics:Jos Killings: Nigerians Wake Government From Sleep And Stop Poking Religious Fingers On Each Other

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National News

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

Published

2 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the group chief executive officer, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments are effective today, April 2.

President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.

Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.

The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris

He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.

Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.

Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.

Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

National News

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

Published

3 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the recent gruesome killing of 16 traveling hunters in Edo State, who were mistook for kidnappers.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Tony Ojukwu expressed deep concern over the horrific incident, which highlights the dangers of mob justice and the urgent need for effective law enforcement and respect for human rights.

He said: “We commend Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, for his swift and decisive action in suspending the Commander of the Edo State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin (Rtd.), and banning all illegal vigilante groups operating in the state, but more need to be done.”

Ojukwu said the Commission wishes to use this opportunity to remind the government and the people of Nigeria that every individual has the right to life, as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He equally said the Commission emphasized that the freedom of movement, as guaranteed by the Constitution and Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been grossly violated in this dastardly incident.

Ojukwu said: “We at the Commission demand that all the perpetrators be fished out and brought to justice. We call on the government to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future, there is no justification for jungle justice anywhere in the world.”

He emphasized that every Nigerian has the right to life, dignity, and freedom from violence, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or occupation, assuring that the Commission will continue to advocate for the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.

Ojukwu said: “We urge the Edo State Government to continue its investigation into the killings and ensure that all perpetrators face the full wrath of the law. On our part, we will continue to monitor the process of investigation to ensure that justice is served. This will serve as a deterrent to others.

“Promotion and protection of human rights is paramount to national development, let’s all imbibe the culture of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom to make Nigeria a better place.”

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

National News

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

Published

20 hours ago

April 1, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

By: Zagazola Makama

Angry youths in Iware, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State, attempted to burn down the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the alleged torture and death of a suspect in custody.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makaka that the unrest began after Yunusa Kaka, 42, was reportedly tortured by security personnel at the NSCDC office in Iware.

Trouble started on March 30 at about 9:00 p.m. when Biliaminu Adamu, 24, was arrested for allegedly stealing two handsets and two packets of Benson cigarettes from Peter Majo of Iware Ward. While in custody, Adamu claimed he had given the stolen phones to Kaka, who denied any involvement.

Security personnel allegedly resorted to torturing Kaka in an attempt to extract a confession. He later became unresponsive and was rushed to Miyetti Allah Hospital in Iware by his brother, where he was confirmed dead.

News of Kaka’s death sparked outrage, with a large number of youths mobilizing to attack the NSCDC office.

However, security personnel managed to prevent the attack, and calm has since been restored to the area.

Authorities say investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death