At least seven persons were killed and several houses burnt in a renewed violence which started yesterday in Tina Junction area of Jos, Plateau State. This is coming as unknown gunmen on Saturday invaded Okpoga, the headquarters of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, killing eight persons.
The Jos violence began when an Apostolic Church in the area was allegedly attacked during its Sunday service by some youths believed to have come from the Hausa community in Jos.
The native youths soon mobilised for a reprisal leading to full-blown riot that escalated to other parts of the city, including Rikkos, Bauchi Ring Road, Students’ Village of the University of Jos, Faringada, Katako, Dilimi and Cele Bridge near Tina Junction in Jos.
Confirming the riot across the city, the Commander of the military Special Task Force (STF), Major General Augustine Agundu, made a live broadcast, on the local Plateau Radio Television Commission (PRTV).
According to him, “Today has been one of those unfortunate moments. We have had a lot of unrests in a cross section of the town. I was with the youths in Jos North LGA yesterday – Laranto in specific, and we had heart-warming discussions and interactions.
“But in a situation like this, certainly, some miscreants and some criminals might want to seize some undue advantage or opportunity to unleash mayhem to innocent citizens and this is what we are condemning since my mandate in this Plateau State is the restoration of peace, law and order and total civility within the society.
“May I appeal to every good citizen of the state living both here in the state and outside the state, to urge the youth, the misguided ones to sheathe their swords and live in peace with one another.
“I am sure that every apparatus of government is working assiduously hard to ensure that normalcy returns and every person goes about his normal duties.
“There is no need for us to lift up arms against one another. Every conflict in this world has a solution and the solution is understanding and perseverance. We should be our brother’s keepers and our sister’s keepers. There should be peaceful co-existence.”
Meanwhile, sporadic gunshots have continued in these communities.
Some visitors who were in transit from a wedding ceremony in Gombe, who did not know their road, ran into the riot and three of them were killed. Also, a 200 level Law student of the University of Jos was among those attacked and killed.