The Jos Riot; A Deadly Cycle Of Muslims And Christian Wars (Pictures And Videos).
In 2001, Jos riots started between Christians and Muslims Jos because of the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program.
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The Unrest started on 7 September and lasted for more than two weeks, before finally ending on 17 September. More than 1, 000 people lost their lives during the riots.
The occurrence of religious conflicts have been predominant in Jos due to the geographical placement of the city in Nigeria.
The Plateau State capital, Jos is situated in the middle of the country, which sits between the Core Muslim north and the Core Christian south.
Jos was also famous for its job opportunities causing people from around the country to move there in search of greener pastures.
The increased influx of foreigners led to tensions between the indigene ethnic groups and non- indigene also known as settlers.
When the federal government appointed a Hausa Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, in 2001 as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program, this made the indigene Christians to protest his appointment.
Tensions was high and it turned into anarchy and later violent on 7 September 2001, when a Christian woman tried to cross a barricaded street outside a mosque during Friday prayers. Her actions led to a disagreement between her and a group of Muslims. The unrest turned into a fight and it eventually spread to other parts of the city.
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Lives and properties were set on fire. A lot of houses, shops, mosques and churches were burned or destroyed. Christian leaders reported that Muslims deliberately attacked Christians and churches were razed including three churches of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, the main Assemblies of God church, and a Jos Apostolic Church and the men of the Nigerian armed forces were eventually sent to stopped the violence.
Local sources said the military’ s presence and strict enforcement of the curfew which was declared, helped end the fights.
The almost one week of violence left more than 3000 people dead.
Due to the large number of people who died in the clashes, a mass burial was conducted by the government.
The riots caused the displacement of more than 100, 000 people whose lives and properties were lost during the crisis.
The government arrested and detained thousands of and set up a committee of inquiry, which probed all the people who were allegedly involved in the violence, but none was successfully prosecuted.
Nine years after the violence, another crisis erupted in 2010, January in Jo’ s and spread to neighbouring communities where houses, churches, mosques and vehicles were burnt during the four days that the riot lasted.
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More than 2, 000 people reportedly lost their lives during the crisis.
Three months after, a fresh crisis erupted and more than 800 Hausa Muslims were reportedly killed and dumped in a pit.
This incident made it the third time of major rioting in Jos in the last ten years. More than 4, 000 people died in the initial crisis while 3000 Muslims were reportedly slain in the subsequent crisis.
Marginalization against the mainly Muslim ” settlers” of Jos is also said to be the cause of the problem while the mainly Christian indigenous population are classified as ” indigenes, ” the mainly Muslim immigrants to Jos, many of them Hausa- Fulani, are classified as ” settlers, ” even if they have been living in the city for decades, and find it difficult to secure government jobs or educational scholarships, among other things and this has further caused divisions.
Reacting to the violence, the Pope expressed anger and sadness at the riots and killings of people.
Pope Benedict XVI said the attacks were ” atrocious” and ” violence does not resolve conflicts but only increases the tragic consequences. “
Vice President Jonathan, who was the acting president at the time, ordered that the killers be apprehended and days later, the police announced that 500 people were arrested in relation to the January 2010 violence, while 700 people were taken into custody because of the March 2010 violence. Three years later, ol federal prosecutors secured convictions of at least 300 people involved in the 2010 violence.
As at 2013, the Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project wrote to the International Criminal Court, praying them to investigate the riots for potential crimes against humanity. The ICC prosecutor wrote back to the Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project in November 2010 informing them that the situation was being reviewed by the prosecutor to see if a case should be opened.
Watch the video of 28 Person Arrested in An Attack in A Village Close to University of Jos, Nigeria:
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