In attacks that have been described as ethnic cleansing in Nigeria, fighters suspected to be Hausa-Fulani, armed with machetes and guns, are reported to have attacked mainly Christian villages, Dogo-Na-Hawa, Ratsat and Jeji villages in Foron district, Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria, about six miles south of Jos.
Sources suspect that the attacks are revenge for earlier attacks on Fulanis in Kuru in January, where about 326 Fulanis were reported killed and some of the bodies dumped in wells. The Fulani's had accused the local indigenous Christians of attacking them, killing their people and stealing about 200 cattle.
Reports say the attack began at about midnight and lasted for about two hours with intense gunfire. A resident of the village, Peter Jang speaking to Reuters said “The shooting was just meant to bring people from their houses and then when people came out they started cutting them with machetes.”
Reports say about 200 people were killed and others seriously injured, with about 45 children are amongst the dead who were hacked to death, gunned down or burnt in their homes. The bodies of the dead, many of them women and children, lined the streets of the villages.
An aid worker who visited the scene and then spoke to the BBC said, "We saw mainly those who are helpless, like small children and then the older men, who cannot run, these were the ones that were slaughtered."
The Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Gyang Buba who visited the area was visibly shocked by the violence and said: “I am deeply sad. We can’t continue like this; we are not animals. We’ll go back and discuss with government even up to Abuja and make our case. Let’s have patience. There is no alternative to patience and don’t let us take laws into our hands. Do not do anything that would aggravate the situation.”
The violence in Jos in Plateau state, Nigeria underscores the rivalry that exists between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria's politics and economic life.
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joy udoka Toronto, Canada March 14, 2010
This is very very bad, This people are very wicked to attack and also kill your fallow human bring just because of religon ,
Our nation nigeria belong to many types of religou both christians & muslims , And also we are one nation, one people, one God ,so why are there killing our brothers and sisters ,Wickedness, Goverment should stop them by killing these suspect because lf there leave them it will not stop the violence .
Chioma Nwosu Abuja, Nideria March 10, 2010
Must we kill to prove ourselves. Please this is not what we need now as a nation. Government should do something before it escalates to other parts of the country.
Raymond Akuma Lubreville, Gabon March 09, 2010
It's very shameful that we are ditroying our land and people because of selfishness. What do we gain when we go about killing our brothers and sisters.We hear how other countries aue making progress and we we go about killing our brothers and sisters. Those insttigators of the killings in Jos should know that they are not bringing any development in Jos and Nigeria rather they are potraying Nigeria internationally. They should be ashmed of themselves.They should also know that their is God.
