Demons with human faces perpetrated Jos crisis –CP

Sir, can you briefly tell us the situation on the Plateau, including casualties during the recent crisis?  Well, I came here on special assignment to conduct area patrol in order to control the skirmishes, but when the Inspector General of Police (IGP) came here on Tuesday and left on Wednesday, on Friday he asked me […]

Sir, can you briefly tell us the situation on the Plateau, including casualties during the recent crisis?

 Well, I came here on special assignment to conduct area patrol in order to control the skirmishes, but when the Inspector General of Police (IGP) came here on Tuesday and left on Wednesday, on Friday he asked me to be the acting commissioner of police Plateau State on special assignment and the mandate given to me by the Inspector General of Police is to sustain lasting peace on the Plateau. Even though the military are in full charge, operationally it’s a joint action to curb the excesses of lawlessness. Police are to work hand in hand with the military and our relationship is cordial.

On the security situation in the state, we restored peace; we even relaxed the curfew because the situation has improved and tentatively, 326 people died in the crises and police had arrested 313 people out of which 139 were transferred to Force Headquarters, Abuja for further investigation.The suspects were transferred to force headquarters due to the congestion at the state Criminal Investigation Department. They were not taken there to be released.

The mindless killings were carried out in Kuru-Jenta, TimTim and other places, but  the entire  crises has no religious connotation. Rather, it was a fray that was hijacked in the name of religion by demons with human faces.

How soon will you take them to court?

When investigations are concluded, because as of now, the investigation is on and as a result of that, we discovered that something bad had happened in Kuru-Jenta and people who perpetrated the dastardly act are known. There is no need  attributing the crises to religion because it  has no religious connotations. And religion has nothing to do with these type of demon’s work.

Let me tell you, just like Hitler War, there are survivors so also in Kuru incident, there are survivors who are residents of Kuru where men were slaughtered. We interviewed them; they told us that they know the suspects who carried out this dastardly act. They told us their names and identities but they are at large, they ran away but we are pursuing them. If they don’t come out, we will go to the press to blacklist them and declare them wanted.

And it’s not only Muslims who were killed, even Christians were killed.

There are allegations that 150 people were slaughtered like rams and dumped into wells in Kuru-Jenta. How true are the figures?

We first received information to check that something had happened in Kuru on Wednesday 20th of this month when the IGP was about to leave for Abuja and we sent a team of mobile policemen, led by the Unit commander, and he told us that the corpses he saw where about thirty-something and the figures that were given by the foreign media were not the actual figure. If people were dumped in a well, yes people were dumped in a well, how will I know the way they count? I will not give you the figures we don’t know, but the survivors will be able to give us the names, addresses and the true identities of all the slain figures before we could say this is the exact figure; but the figures they gave is not the exact figure.

 

There are allegations that many people were caught in army and police uniforms. Is that true?

As I stand before you, I came to this town on Friday 19 January 2010. There are stories that are peddled all over the town that army and police officers were shooting people. There is no iota of truth in it. That is why on the curfew issue, statements were credited to the General Officer Commanding 3rd armoured division that policemen were restricted. This is not good journalism. I think in proper journalism ethical people will listen and report what is said correctly. Our relationship with the military is very cordials, they are in charge of the state internal security, followed by the mobile police, followed by the conventional police and as at now, it is even joint operations we are doing.

When the incident of Kuru-Jenta happened I sent some unit commander of MOPOL because we wanted to know specifically what happened and I asked the unit commander I sent to the scene what actually happened, how  were these people killed, was it through gunshot or machete cut? He said the men were killed with machete cut, then where is the gun? You are just trying to cause confusion and it is not in the interest of any one of us.   Or do you want the whole investors that invested their money in the state to run away? People will not present facts; even now there is peace in the state, that is why we relaxed the curfew, which we wouldn’t have done if there was no peace. But people speculate from what had happened and what did not happen. Initially, when the crises started, from our records, the number of dead persons was little above 50. When I came I asked the commandant of the civil defence, he said the corpses they escorted were about six. So, where are they getting the figures? Some international media reported that 17,000 people were killed. Even if one person was killed, it is enough for us to mourn.

But the GOC told newsmen at a press briefing that five people suspected to be fake soldiers were arrested in army uniform.

What I told you is what I know, because I told you that I came here from Abuja on Friday and this is my first day in the office and the man in charge of the state CID has gone to Abuja because of the people arrested. But I was here when the presidential team came to assess the situation led by the IGP. When they were briefed about the incident no one mentioned to them that some people were arrested in army uniform or fake soldiers. And the people we took to Abuja, I saw them, none of them had military uniform; even the arms recovered were locally-made pistols and guns or machetes, can you be a soldier and use a locally-made pistol? To the best of my knowledge, no one was arrested in army uniform.

Was the former CP transferred to Abuja because of his pronouncements that some Muslim youths without provocation attacked Christians at Saint Michael church?

The transfer of the former Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Mr Anyanting, even though I am not the Inspector General of Police, but the little I can say is that the man was transferred because he is incapacitated. When the Inspector General of Police came here he was limping. Ask anybody, the man was limping because he was sick; he didn’t even follow the IGP’s entourage.

What is your message for the public?

People should cooperate with the security operatives to achieve sustainable peace since peace has now returned to the state that was the reason why government even relaxed the curfew and I want to assure Nigerians of adequate protection of their lives and properties.

Residents must shun rumour mongering and report any suspicious character to the security operatives. People should have faith in the government and cooperate with us.