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Nigeria: Death Now Resides in Jos Plateau

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Gradually but systematically, Nigeria, through Jos, is back to the Hobbessian State of nature where life is nasty, brutish and short. The once peaceful city of Jos and its surrounding villages are now the abode of death. Sectarian violence had been the lot of the entire State in the last two years. In December 2008, there was a bloody confrontation which has ethnic, religious and political dimensions. The 2008 crisis claimed over 400 lives including those of three youth corps members whose offence was that they were serving their fatherland in Plateau State. The crisis then was attributed to a local government election that was manipulated in favour of a PDP candidate at the expense of the ANPP candidate believed to have won the election. The crisis later took an ethnic and religious dimension. In January 2010, Jos erupted in violence again when it was alleged that a Muslim who was trying to rebuild his house that was burnt during the 2008 crisis was prevented from doing so by a group of Christian youths who said they didn't want Muslims around the area again. It was alleged that the Muslim man invited soldiers who shot and killed some of the stone throwing youths. Violence escalated from that point as a village was surrounded and about 300 inhabitants were massacred in an early morning raid. Many corpses were later discovered at septic tanks and the army was accused of taken sides with the attackers in the crisis. The latest crisis has been described by some arrested culprits who participated in the mayhem as a revenge mission over the January attack.
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