19th April, 2011
The Police in Taraba have arrested 42 persons over the killing of two persons in post-election violence in Mutum Biyu in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba on Sunday.
The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Musa Aliyu, who made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, said the remains of the dead have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre in Jalingo.
Aliyu, however, said that the situation had been brought under control as security men had been deployed to all likely trouble spots in the state.
He said traditional rulers and religious leaders had been directed to appeal to their people to allow peace to reign.
Aliyu urged aggrieved politicians to pursue their complaints in the court instead of resorting to violence, stressing that the security agencies were prepared to enforce public peace.
Meanwhile, a mild pandemonium broke out in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday as some hoodlums attempted to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens over the presidential poll.
The crisis occurred in Wuse in Abuja city centre, as well as Kubwa, Dutse, Karu and Nyanya, all satellite communities in the FCT.
Similarly, the protest broke out in Mararaba and its environs in nearby Nasarawa State.
In Wuse, the hoodlums broke vehicle windscreens and forced traders to close their shops as people ran home for safety.
The protesting youths claimed they were unhappy with the outcome of the presidential election.
In Mararaba in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, the hoodlums burnt many vehicles on the Abuja-Keffi Road.
A driver, who attempted to speak to NAN on the development was beaten up and his vehicle windscreen damaged.
NAN learnt the protest started in Mararaba, home to a large number of workers in FCT, when news of similar protests in other northern cities spread.
The Etsu of Karu, Chief Luka Panyan, in whose domain Mararaba is, told NAN that an advance report had been made to the police in Mararaba and Masaka.
The Pastor of Threshold of God Bible Church in New Nyanya, Karu Local Government Area, said the quick intervention of the military and the army saved the situation from escalating.
A civil servant, Mr. Abdullahi Salami, said the crisis was politically motivated, adding that it might have been masterminded by politicians, who were not satisfied with the outcome of the poll.
Mrs. Grace Aminu, a businesswoman, decried the development, saying she had to close her shop to avoid hoodlums looting her wares.
She called on the Federal Government to move fast to arrest the perpetrators of the crisis.
In Minna, some irate youths beat a policeman to a state of coma and cut off the hands of a National Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) officer during clashes with security agents over the presidential poll.
NAN learnt that the youths attacked the policemen in Kpakungu ward of Minna in the morning while he was returning home.
The protesters also attacked the NSCDC official in Sabon Gari ward and in addition, burnt five vehicles and two places of worship in the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Oguche, confirmed the incidents.
He said: “We heard of the attack on policeman, who was beaten into a state of coma in Kpakungu ward and later cut off the hands of a Civil Defence officer in Sabon Gari ward.
“We rushed to the two wards, in Sabon Gari ward, we saw five vehicles that were burnt to ashes, including some motorcycles, but nobody can tell us, why and what caused the action.“
Oguche said the police had intensified patrols around the town and that the situation was under control,
“We have arrested a lot of irate youths and I cannot give you the exact number of arrests at the moment,†Oguche said, and restated the determination of the police to deal with trouble makers.
As a result of the crisis, shops and business outfits in the city were closed in the morning but government offices and commercial banks remained open for business.
The private businesses, however, re-opened at 3p.m, when the situation calmed down, while the police removed all illegal roadblocks in the city.
Following the protests, which have been reported in Adamawa, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina, Mr. Joshua Dariye, a former Governor of Plateau, has condemned the development
Dariye said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Monday that the protests were “condemnable†and shameful.
“It is shameful that some people are reported to be protesting and destroying property; this is very sad,†he said.
Dariye, who is the LP senatorial candidate for Plateau Central, described the election as free and fair and wondered why some people decided to cause trouble over the outcome of the poll.
“From what I deduced from last Saturday’s Presidential election, the electorate voted