Month: February 2012

By V. AL-PEA

On Friday, February 24^th, 2012 the Plateau State government distributed vehicles worth hundreds of million of naira to citizens under the Tackling Poverty Together Project (TPTP). In a brief ceremony to mark the event, which was held at the Government House, the Commissioner for Works, Chris Hassan, who is also the chairman of the planning committee said the program was designed to remedy the ongoing transportation hardship and to empower the state citizens.

Hassan maintained that the 100 mini cabs and 14/18-seater buses procured by the state government have been numbered and assigned to specific routes within Jos and Bukuru metropolis. If the beneficiary deviate from their assigned routes, they will be arrested and prosecuted by security agents who have been briefed about the program. He also said that 70 percent of the mini cabs and buses have been designated to routes within Jos while 30 percent are assigned to the Bukuru area.

The TPTP program is a partnership with Zenith bank, with beneficiaries expected to open accounts and advance a 10 percent payment of the vehicle cost to participate. Thereafter they were given a one-month before starting an installment payment. The payment is expected to complete in two years, after which the beneficiaries will assume its full ownership. The cost of the bus was put at 5.75 million naira each, while the mini cabs are 2.7 million naira each.

 At the inauguration of the program, the state governor, Jonah Jang noted that the poverty level has risen 25% since 1990. He also said that the beneficiaries were selected irrespective of political party affiliation, religious or ethnic backgrounds. Jang also announced a waiver of the 10 percent advance payment for the beneficiaries who could not come up with the money. Jang also announced that the state government would soon embark on major road construction projects which include a fly-over bridge at British/American junction, Secretariat junction, Old airport junction and Miango junction. Meanwhile Governor Jang said that his poverty alleviation plan will include other critical sectors of the economy including agriculture, health and education.

The Messenger Voice 2/29/2012:

Sunday, February 26th, 2012 was another dark day in Plateau State as terrorists detonated a bomb at the Headquarters of Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN). Investigations carried out by our team discovered that this bomb detonation was a well-calculated attempt that involved the Military personnel, which provided access to the heavily guarded place.

The bombers showed up dressed in Military attire as church service began, wanting to gain access to the compound. As member of the Boys Brigade (BB) denied them access, a military officer posted to the church interceded, demanding that access be granted. When the BB refused, the officer overruled them and forcefully opened the gate, letting the men in. Once allowed in, the men proceeded to locate their vehicle close to the church, where members were worshipping in the basement, since the church was under construction.

Suddenly the vehicle they drove in exploded, instantly killing one of them and leaving the other partially wounded. The crowd descended on the injured bomber, beating him. At the same time, the crowd turned their attention to the military officer who granted the bombers access, beating him as well.

Meanwhile, a contingent of the Nigerian Military guarding the Central Bank, which is not far from the church made their way upon hearing the blast. As they saw members of the military being beaten, they fired shots into the air and rescued the officers. Apparently, that was how the second bomber was rescued by the Military, since they believed he was one of them because he was wearing a uniform.

Reports also indicate that a worshipper at the church was killed, beaten to death as he was also suspected to be a bomber. The Plateau State commissioner for information also got caught in the commotion, as the crowd apparently turned on him when he tried to diffuse the situation.

We should note that Plateau State has experienced a period of calm under the tenure of the former STF commander. Many are now suspicious that his replacement, a Hausa Muslim, has opened the way for terrorist attacks to resume. When interviewing Plateau natives, many believe that the new commander made it possible for these attacks to take place. We should also note that Mosques remain heavily guarded by members of the Nigerian Military, while the churches are left open with little to no guards.

We originally posted that this video took place in Nigeria and was carried out by Boko Haram. Other new reports brought to our attention clarify that the man slain was a Somali Christian who was beheaded by Al-Shabaab, and is believed to have been created in 2008. As our goal is to be truthful and honest, we wanted to break this new finding to set the record straight.

It is worth being mentioned that three pastors, Sabo Yakubu, Sylvester Akpan and George Orgi were beheaded in a similar fashion in August of 2009.

The Messenger Voice.

By V. AL-PEA

In spite of growing violence committed by Islamic militants on Nigerian Christians in the Middle Belt and North, Plateau State has been enjoying some relative peace. However, it has not been immune to lesser-known forms of attacks—abductions.

Patience Vou Jonathan, an eighteen year-old Berom native in Riyom local government area of Plateau State was the target of a common tactic where kidnappers pose as taxi operators and abduct passengers. While narrating her experience to TMV, Patience recounted that on Sunday, 12th February, 2012 at about 2pm, she stood by the road at the Building Material market in Jos South local government area. She boarded a painted taxi on her way to the Church at COCIN RCC Jiye. There were two male and one female passenger in the car. Unfortunately for her, the journey that would have lasted not more 10 minutes took the whole day.

“Immediately I boarded the cab, I became oblivious of time and my environment as though under a spell. When I finally alighted from the cab and was ordered by my captors towards a duplex ahead of me, I noticed everywhere was pitch dark; it was nightfall”.

As patience obediently walked into the duplex, she heard the screams of women, children, and some elderly who had their heads clean shaved. As she walked past the wailing victims into another adjoining room, she saw weird looking faces of men chopping into pieces what appeared to be human beings. Suddenly acting from an impulse she blindly ran out of the building and hid in a nearby bush.

Wielding torchlights to find her, Patience’s captors found and dragged her back into the building where she was brought before a giant grotesque man. After staring at her intently, he shook his head and told her captors in Hausa that he doesn’t need such people. They then took her somewhere outside the building, dispossessed her of her phone and left her to her fate. After hours of wandering aimlessly in the bush she came across a good samaritan who brought her back to Jos.

Father of the victim, Mr. Jonathan Tinja Zam, a civil servant with the State Fire Service Department reported to the police at the Biye out station when he discovered his daughter had not returned home. He was advised to report to the Divisional police ‘B’ headquarters at Anglo Jos, which he promptly did.

“I got to the Divisional Police ‘B’ Headquarters at about 11 a.m. of Monday 13th February, 2012 and the officers on duty told me that until it had been 24 hours since my daughter was missing, they could not take action— so I had to wait at the station until 2 p.m. before they took my statement and promised they would send radio messages all round police stations in the state”.

Few hours later after he had left the station, Mr. Jonathan, who had tried to call his daughter’s phone, received a call from the Good Samaritan that helped her, instructing him to pick her up at the Plateau Riders Motor Park.
He went there and found her, but the Good Samaritan had left. With this near death experience, Mr. Jonathan is calling on the government to intensify efforts towards looking into nefarious activities like these.

Patience may have been lucky to escape alive without being physically harmed, but many victims, mostly Christian ladies, are never found. For the few that make it home, the story doesn’t typically end well either. One example is an incident that occurred early last year. Two indigenous female students of the University of Jos, whose names are withheld, were forcefully taken to Angwan Rogo, a predominantly Muslim settlement in Jos North local government area. They were abducted after the taxi they boarded swiftly changed course, taking them to a compound they could not identify. Unfortunately for the girls, they were subjected to dehumanizing sexual abuse as several young boys repeatedly raped them. After two weeks of adduction the girls were released, but one of them later died and the other tested positive for HIV.

These types of injustices are frequently visited upon Christians by jihadist in the Middle Belt and Northern Nigeria. Unfortunately, the government has a nonchalant attitude towards this type of ugly crime.

By V. AL-PEA

The Plateau State Commissioner for Environment, Mrs. Sarah Yusuf, welcomed 400 Christian who were seeking refuge in Jos after fleeing systematic killings by Hausa jihadists in Yobe State of Nigeria.

While presenting over 8 million naira worth of relief supplies to them, Mrs. Yusuf lamented about the hardships they had endured. According to her, “I wished the displaced people were in the comfort of their homes–which is better than giving them these items.” Mrs. Sarah Yusuf then announced that the state government is using the former Tati Hotel at Gada Biyu as a temporary venue to house refugees.

Meanwhile she stressed the need for all Nigerians to appreciate and tolerate one another irrespective of religion as she handed the relief. Receiving the supplies on behalf of the victims, the President of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN), Rev. Soja Bewarang appreciated the kind gesture from Plateau State, thanking the governor for demonstrating a “practical Christian love”. Also expressing thanks was a representative of the refuges, Dr. Adamu Sule who quoted a biblical passage that spoke about Christians fleeing persecution to seek refuge in neighboring lands. Sule further expressed thanks to the leaderships of COCIN, ECWA (Evangelical Churches of West Africa) and some individuals who provided accommodation.

One of the refugees, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Messenger Voice that the situation in Potiskum and Damaturu local government areas was worse, though their experience was also bad. According to him, houses and businesses belonging to Christians were selected and the occupants shot or hacked to death.

Items donated by Plateau State included 100 pieces of mattresses, 100 pillows, 250 pieces of blankets, 100 bags of rice, 10 bags of sugar (50kg each), 10 cartons of maggi cubes, 10 cartons of toilet soaps, 10 cartons of laundry soaps, 10 cartons of lotion, 110 bags of salt, 10 bags of tissue paper, 1 carton of matches, 1 bag of per person of tomatoes, onions and hot pepper, 20 cans of palm oil, 20 cans of vegetable oil, 15 bags of garri (cereal grain), 1 carton of smoked fish, three 25 liter containers of kerosene, 15 bags of beans, 80 bags of maize, cooking pots, sweeping brooms, plastic buckets, plastic plates, cups and spoons.

By V. AL-PEA

The governor of Plateau State, Dah Jonah Jang has proposed a vision for developing agriculture into a self-sustaining economy, which he encapsulated in a 10-point agenda centered on mechanized equipment, water resources and rural development.

This program began in 2008 when Jang signed a joint venture agreement with SEC Equipment and Communication, an Israeli Company specializing in agricultural development. The venture aims to establish Agricultural Services and Training Centers (ASTC), which will increase agricultural productivity by providing diverse field services and technical training of staff and farmers.

Comprehensive farm centers are slated to be established in the three senatorial districts of Kassa, Vom Northern Zone; Mangu, Central Zone; and Shendam, Southern Zone, where each ASTC will provide mechanized agricultural services and farm inputs, such as tractors and fertilizers.

By using advanced agricultural technology, the department strives to encourage market driven production. Seminars are also to be conducted to inform participants of the benefits of modernized agriculture available through the ASTC.

By V. AL-PEA

The Plateau State Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Idi Waziri, has promised to replace old, worn out pipes within Jos.

During a tour of the city, Waziri stopped at the motor park opposite the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), where water was gushing out from a control valve. The Commissioner immediately instructed the maintenance unit of the board to rectify the problem, which they did with expediency.

At the board’s treatment plant situated near the British American Junction, Waziri noticed with dismay that illegal buildings were springing up. He subsequently ordered an immediate stop and declared that government will take drastic action, including demolition of illegal buildings around the area.

The Commissioner then visited the Bingham University Teaching Hospital (Jankwano) where the management complained about poor water supply, stating that it impedes their operation.

Research into the matter revealed major water leakages springing from damaged underground pipes, contributing to poor water supply in the city. Pools of water can be witnessed from underground pipes, making it impossible to deliver it to needy residents even when the water is available. Thus, water problems have persisted in Plateau State.

BY V. AL-PEA

A young man in Kunga II Ward of Jos north local government area of Plateau State was shot by an unidentified gunmen on January 31^st, 2012. The incident occurred around 9:00 p.m. near a filling station about 45 meters away from a military checkpoint. The shooting generated a pandemonium among the predominantly Anaguta residents, who subsequently barricaded the major road from neighboring Bauchi State until security agents stepped in to calmed the irate youths.

Narrating the ordeal to TMV, the father of the deceased, Elder Sani Idi said that the victim, Yusuf Daki was walking home when two Opel Vectra cars suddenly pulled up beside him. The occupants stopped and fired repeatedly, killing him instantly and then speeding towards Bauchi State.

“That night we were home, then suddenly we heard sporadic gunshots and we quickly mobilized and ran to the roadside, the direction of the shots. Then we saw two Opel Vectra cars take off and speed towards Bauchi. We tried to pursue them, but of course we were on foot and were no match for them”. It was a few minutes later that Idi learned his son, 48 years old; husband of two wives and father of 6 children was the victim.

TMV visited the police outpost in Kunga to get comments on the murder, but the officer on duty coldly claimed ignorance. The officer advised TMV to visit Angwa Rogo Divisional Headquarters for details on the case.

Calling on the government and security agents to be more vigilant, Idi lamented that this was the third time such gory incidents have occurred in the community. One of the attacks apparently occurred on January 1st, 2012, but fortunately the victim sustained a nonfatal injury.