The
attacks on Tatu, Rawuru, Bok and Dorang villages have claimed lives
of over 40 people, leaving dozens more injured. According to
eyewitnesses, the four communities were attacked simultaneously in a
coordinated operation between midnight and 1 a.m.
The attacks came barely 24
hours after the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, raised the alarm that
was based on a security report indicating that the state would come under
attack around the Christmas season.
The recent violence in Plateau shows
that the crisis in the state is far from being over. Within the last 12 years,
thousands of people have been killed and assets, worth billions of naira
destroyed.
Nowadays the capital Jos, Plateau
state, which used to be one of the most peaceful and serene cities in Nigeria,
is divided along tribal and religious lines.
The Federal Government has taken
several actions, including the declaration of a state of emergency and
deployment of troops under the Obasanjo administration. A special joint
taskforce that has consumed billions of naira is still stationed in the state.
Yet, in spite of all these measures,
the state remains a war zone, a time-bomb that has exploded on several
occasions. The so-called “natives” and the “settlers” have deep-seated
animosity towards each other; as the violence increases, the grudges deepen.
Each party seems out to seek vengeance. But mutual retribution can only lead to
more conflict and anarchy.
The Federal Government is simply not
doing enough. Now that Governor Jang appears helpless, he should be helped to
put out the flames while the embers are still ablaze. The incumbent Federal
Government should, as a matter of national urgency, review all the reports and
recommendations made by several committees set up so far on the crisis, and
address certain fundamental issues such as the status of a Nigerian residing
outside his state of origin, the issue of compensation of victims of violence,
and how to integrate all the communities once more.
The task force in the state should
be forced to be alive to its responsibilities. It is not enough to simply mount
roadblocks along major highways; they must protect the rural communities. There
must be special outposts and good observation points. They must increase
patrols on foot, with vehicles and even with helicopters. The
intelligence-gathering apparatus should be expanded and upgraded. It is the
same attitude of soldiers looking for comfort zones that has contributed to the
prolonged crisis in the north-eastern part of the country. Across the country,
security agents rarely enter bushes to hunt for criminals. Yet, everyone knows
that armed robbers, kidnappers, drug peddlers and other bandits usually operate
from forests and avoid highways where our security agents mount their
surveillance.
The alarm raised by the Jonah Jang
should no longer be ignored. The return of peace and security to Plateau state
is in everybody’s interest.
Leadership
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