Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has raised concern over the renewed killings in Plateau State.
The group, while condemning the fresh outbreak of violence in the state, described the killings as barbaric and inhuman.
It called on the relevant international bodies to immediately
document them with a view to holding those responsible to account at
some point.
CESJET wondered why the government of President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to arrest those behind these crimes against humanity.
The centre further raised the alarm that there was a grand plot to
unleash a nationwide instability across Nigeria using Plateau State as
the launchpad.
News sources reports that thirteen persons have been confirmed killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in a night attack in Jol village of Riyom Local Government of Plateau State.
Joyce Ogwu, Executive Director in a statement fingered former
governor of the state, Senator Jonah Jang over the state so as to throw
the entire nation into chaos to achieve some aims.
Ogwu said, “The first objective is to trigger similar crisis across
the entire country based on the expectations that persons of other
ethnicities and faiths would carry out reprisals that would overwhelm
the police and therefore spiral out of control;
“The second objective is to on the strength of the crisis prevent the
country from holding elections as scheduled in February 2019.
“The third objective derives from the combination of the first and
second objective, which is to precipitate a constitutional crisis that
would undermine the corporate and sovereign integrity of Nigeria.
“This plot took a dangerous turn when Berom militia, funded by Jang,
mingled with protesters and killed Nigerians of other ethnic extractions
claiming that it was retaliation for killing of Beroms by unknown
gunmen. These unknown gunmen have now been proven to be assassins that
were instructed to go on the killing spree and create justification for
reprisals against other Nigerians with a view to causing a breakdown of
law and order across the country.
“Several persons were killed and others declared missing in the wake
of the protests that were hijacked by Jang’s militia. Retired Major
General Idris Alkali disappeared under unclear circumstances in a zone
controlled by these militias and sadly his car and personal effects are
the only things found about him so far. The riots further staged by
students and women in the area are nothing but acts of cover-up. This
was after the community where his car was eventually found denied the
Army the right to evacuate a pond to search for his dead body.
“CESJET is, therefore, calling the attention of President Buhari to
this threat to the nation’s security and the need to place security
agencies on alert to forestall the success of the plot being hatched
against the country in a bid to get at his government.
“The Nigeria Police Force should be directed to speed up its
investigation and apprehend all those linked with this plot and
immediately arraign them before competent courts to serve as a
deterrence to others that may wish to thread similar paths. Mr.
President can no longer continue to be indifferent towards the dangerous
antics of Senator Jonah Jang simply because he is concerned about how
Nigerians or the world will perceive his arrest as persecution.
“The government should also back the Nigerian Army in its
investigation to unravel the fate of retired Major General Idril Alkali
as no Nigerian, especially one that has given 35 years of his life in
service to the fatherland, should end up the way the General has been
treated. The Army should bring in the police where necessary since there
are reports that human remains were found when it emptied the pond in
which the general’s car was found. For us, this is indication that
Jang’s Militia might have been engaged in pogrom against other ethnic
nationalities and were only found out when the retired general
disappeared.
“We further appeal to the Federal Government to intensify ongoing
enlightenment campaigns to educate citizens about the dangers of
succumbing to ethno-religious oriented incitements as they are
detrimental to the nation. The necessary mechanisms should be put in
place to engender confidence building so that people will not have
course to resort to self-help or reprisal attacks that would only worsen
the present situation in areas where Senator Jang is implementing his
agenda.”