Women protest in Jos over arrests of kinsmen

Some Nigerian women on Thursday staged a protest in Du village, near Jos, against the arrest of nine of their kinsmen by the Special Task Force (STF).

The men were arrested after some unidentified gunmen stormed the village in an early morning raid on Tuesday, killing two persons.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the women, clad in black dresses, trooped to the streets.

The women said they disagreed with the claim that the arrested men could be part of the invading gunmen. The STF, the security outfit charged with maintaining the peace in Plateau, had on Wednesday paraded before newsmen, the arrested persons for allegedly being in possession of sophisticated firearms.

STF Media Officer, Capt. Salisu Mustapha, had said that they were arrested around Du, Shenabe and Bisichi villages in Jos South LGA.

Mustapha said items recovered from them included one AK-47 rifle, one FN rifle, one sub-machine gun, one locally-made shot revolver, a locally-made long revolver, a bayonet, a knife and two rounds of 9mm ammunitions.

The women, however, challenged the claims of the STF and accused security forces of arresting their kinsmen unjustly and using tear gas on the protesters.

Mrs Hanatu James, spokeswomen of the protesters, said the soldiers failed to go after the real culprits.

“We are protesting because two of our children were killed and nine of our children were arrested and taken away as criminals by soldiers.

However, Mustapha denied the use of tear gas on the protesters, adding that his men only dispersed the protesting women.

“I am aware of the protest but we did not use tear gas while dispersing them, that I am sure, “ he declared. Mustapha said that the nine arrested persons were only being investigated.

The the two persons killed during the Tuesday night attack have since been buried. (NAN