8 dead, 100 missing due to violence – JDAN
By Yinka Aderibigbe
The Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN) have raised the alarm over the escalation of violence in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, which has left eight persons dead, no fewer than 100 other persons missing and houses razed down.
At a press conference which it held at Apapa, Lagos, on Thursday, the group, which described the scope of the violence as “overwhelming” and “beyond the state’s capacity to handle”, therefore called on the Federal Government to wade in, in order to prevent the state from being thrown into “avoidable religious crisis.”
The group alleged that the new orgy of violence started on Monday March 11, immediately after the State’s INEC returning officer pronounced Governor Darius Ishaku of the PDP, winner of the gubernatorial election which was held across the country on March 9.
Governor Darius Ishaku had won a second term by defeating his closest rival Alhaji Danladi Sani of the APC, with over 250,000 votes at the governorship election.
JDAN National President Chief Bako Benjamin, while briefing reporters at the press conference, drew attention to the escalation of the violence in the state capital, adding that the group have every cause to believe that the present violence had a religious intonation because only Christians are coming under heavy attacks by people suspected to be Muslim youths.
He said confessional statements of some of the perpetrators of the violence, arrested by the people, lay credence to the fact that the violence unleashed on the state capital was premeditated.
He said: “The moment the state governor Darius Ishaku was declared the winner of the governorship election; the state capital was thrown into violence by angry Muslim youths and mercenaries who allegedly stormed the state capital from neighbouring states of Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi and other northern states, attacking the Christians living in Jalingo, the state capital.”
According to him, JDAN have every reason to fear that if this irrational violence is not nipped and the perpetrators brought to book, it might escalate as “Christians who heavily populates other parts of the state may begin reprisal attacks on Muslims within their communities thereby throwing the state into an avoidable bloodbath.”
Bako who praised the Governor Darius Ishaku for moving speedily to calm the situation by imposing a dusk to dawn curfew and for leaving no stone unturned to calm the situation.
JDAN accused the soldiers and police of “taking side, not doing enough and not coming to the rescue of helpless Christians who are generally believed to be PDP sympathizers who are been hacked to death in their houses by marauding killers on the rampage”.
The association blamed the federal government for deliberately abandoning the state and ignoring the security challenges of mass massacre happening before now, because it is an opposition PDP state.
JDAN observed that as soon as the 24 hours curfew slammed on the state capital was lifted by the Governor on Thursday, the killings and destruction and burning of houses and vehicles resumed in mostly Christian minority areas like Nasawo, NTA, Sabon gari and others.
The association warned that as long as the federal government continue to openly display bias, in its dealings with opposition party states, the collective unity of our country will continue to suffer.
The association hereby called on the losers of the election to accept defeat, rein in their attacks dogs so the state can move on in peace and progress.