New conflicts, killings in Jos; Fulani herdsmen vs christians
Special to USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine, Houston
In March and April 2010, there were renewed cries of religious and ethnic killings of hundreds of christians around Jos by Islamic, Fulani herdsmen of northern-middle-belt Nigeria. This weekend of May 22, 2010, wire services are reporting that 3 Fulani nomadic herdsmen were on Saturday killed in fresh sectarian attacks staged by suspected ethnic Beroms in a village close to Nigeria’s flashpoint city of Jos, the Nigeria military has reportedly said.
The attack took place in the mainly-Christian Tusung village in the Barki Ladi region, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Jos, in the evening.
The three were reportedly looking for lost cattle when dozens of youths waylaid and murdered them before setting the bodies on fire, according to a mobile phone message by a senior military official.
The message by Colonel Kayode Ogundele, who directs operations of a special military unit deployed to stem inter-communal and religious violence in Plateau state, was sent to Brigadier General Femi Adeoye, the number two of the unit.
The message was seen by an AFP correspondent.
“From nowhere youths suspected to be Berom numbering about 500 appeared and started unleashing havoc on the three Fulani men and immediately they died and they were burnt, buried in shallow graves and later exhumed by the assailants themselves,” read part of the text.
An AFP reporter saw the bodies at an airforce hospital in Jos city.
Hausa-Fulani herdsmen in March launched a wave of attacks on five Christian Berom villages, slaughtering more than 500 people according to state officials.
In Jos, the capital of Plateau state and its environs, movement in somewhat restricted depending on one’s ethnic group.
Ethnicity is generally linked to one’s faith — Beroms are normally seen as Christians while Hausa and Fulani are usually Muslims. ref: AFP
President Jonathan should not focus most of his attention on the Niger Delta since the the issue of religious and ethnic conflicts hold more dangers for the stability of Nigeria.
It is high time the security services dealt with all the trouble makers especially the followers of bin Laden in Nigeria who insist we cannot rest!!
Thanks and keep up the excellent work you are all doing at USAfricaonline.com
President Jonathan should not focus most of his attention on the Niger Delta since the the issue of religious and ethnic conflicts hold more dangers for the stability of Nigeria.
It is high time the security services dealt with all the trouble makers especially the followers of bin Laden in Nigeria who insist we cannot rest!!
Thanks and keep up the excellent work you are all doing at USAfricaonline.com