Soldiers in a central Nigerian city opened fire on Saturday on university students protesting continuing violence between Christians and Muslims, witnesses said, with at least five people killed in the ensuing violence.

The shooting came as gas stations and a farmer’s market smouldered after late Friday violence that sparked when Christian students attacked Muslims trying to bury a corpse in Jos, a city at the epicentre of tensions between Nigeria’s two dominant faiths. One Muslim died in that attack, which sparked retaliatory assaults on Christian churches in the region on Saturday morning.

This is the latest violence in Jos and its surrounding villages, a region once known as a vacation spot for British colonialists and as a tin mining town. Human Rights Watch said at least 1,000 people died in 2010 and another 200 more have died within the last month in violence largely fuelled by ethnic, economic and political disputes.

Saturday morning, witnesses said students marched toward soldiers, upset over the deaths of the fellow classmates. A student leader told The Associated Press that two students had died - one stabbed by a rioter, another shot dead.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Umaru told journalists that soldiers opened fire because the students had refused to return to the University of Jos campus. He said he had no information about any deaths in the shooting.

Plateau state police commissioner Abdurrahman Akanu said he had no information on the latest violence.

Later on Saturday, Muslim rioters tore down a Baptist church and another Christian church was set ablaze, said Mark Lipdo, who runs a non-profit Christian organization in the city. Mr. Lipdo said three others had been killed in the violence, including a seven-year-old child.

As many as 13 people died overnight on Thursday after gunmen attacked four Christian villages near Jos. The city has been on edge since a series of bombs exploded there Christmas Eve, killing dozens.

Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150 million people, is almost evenly split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. Jos is in the nation’s “middle belt,” where dozens of ethnic groups vie for control of fertile lands.

Recent violence in central and northern Nigeria comes as President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian who took power after the death of Nigeria’s elected Muslim leader, seeks the presidency. Some believe a northern candidate should stand in Jonathan’s place to appease an unwritten power-sharing agreement in the oil-rich nation’s ruling party.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1137610.ece

But I will be honest and say the students should not have attacked the Muslims in the first place.

However there are better ways to quell these disturbances, than using live rounds.

Thanks to the CIC Goodluck Jonathan


Any way the life of a Nigerian is not worth anything comparable to that of an American  -by Yakubu Gowon ( Friends of GEJ)

I am getting convinced that war is the only way to rid Nigeria off the "born to rule" mentality that is at the root of all our problems, from Jos to zoning.

Beaf:

I am getting convinced that [b]war is the only w[/b]ay to rid Nigeria off the "born to rule" mentality that is at the root of all our problems, from Jos to zoning.

War ko, sex bing ni. olodo. How about telling your uncle GEJ to put the country ahead of his political ambition, and arrest this situation immediately?

beaf, war is not yet the only option. If someone with intolerance for corruption were in office now things would not go this far. I hope the 'rulers' can come down off their high horses to manually and personally see to a resolution of this conflict.

But I will be honest and say the students should not have attacked the Muslims in the first place.

@ Frobel the said Muslims attacked and killed students yesterday, so said my muslim Friend who is also a student. If there was law in the land nobody would go about being justice to themselves and judging people to death

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1137610.ece


Soldiers in a central Nigerian city opened fire on Saturday on university students protesting continuing violence between Christians and Muslims, witnesses said, with at least five people killed in the ensuing violence.

The shooting came as gas stations and a farmer’s market smouldered after late Friday violence that sparked when Christian students attacked Muslims trying to bury a corpse in Jos, a city at the epicentre of tensions between Nigeria’s two dominant faiths. One Muslim died in that attack, which sparked retaliatory assaults on Christian churches in the region on Saturday morning.

This is the latest violence in Jos and its surrounding villages, a region once known as a vacation spot for British colonialists and as a tin mining town. Human Rights Watch said at least 1,000 people died in 2010 and another 200 more have died within the last month in violence largely fuelled by ethnic, economic and political disputes.

Saturday morning, witnesses said students marched toward soldiers, upset over the deaths of the fellow classmates. A student leader told The Associated Press that two students had died - one stabbed by a rioter, another shot dead.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Umaru told journalists that soldiers opened fire because the students had refused to return to the University of Jos campus. He said he had no information about any deaths in the shooting.

Plateau state police commissioner Abdurrahman Akanu said he had no information on the latest violence.

Later on Saturday, Muslim rioters tore down a Baptist church and another Christian church was set ablaze, said Mark Lipdo, who runs a non-profit Christian organization in the city. Mr. Lipdo said three others had been killed in the violence, including a seven-year-old child.

As many as 13 people died overnight on Thursday after gunmen attacked four Christian villages near Jos. The city has been on edge since a series of bombs exploded there Christmas Eve, killing dozens.

Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150 million people, is almost evenly split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. Jos is in the nation’s “middle belt,” where dozens of ethnic groups vie for control of fertile lands.

Recent violence in central and northern Nigeria comes as President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian who took power after the death of Nigeria’s elected Muslim leader, seeks the presidency. Some believe a northern candidate should stand in Jonathan’s place to appease an unwritten power-sharing agreement in the oil-rich nation’s ruling party.

Beaf:

I am getting convinced that war is the only way to rid Nigeria off the "born to rule" mentality that is at the root of all our problems, from Jos to zoning.

OMGOSH! This from the same dunce/ person who only days ago proclaimed that today there is relative PEACE IN NIGERIA?

Beaf:

You must be a dunce. Just about two years ago, the nation almost ground to a halt because of attacks on oil infrastructure, today there is relative peace.

It's simply the begining of the end? How can those that distinguish themselves by the adoption of a body of religious laws (Sharia), deemed superior to the laws of the State, end up custodians of the State.

It is time to end these contradictions! Enough is enough, Nigeria is a Pluralistic sociey. How much more bloodshed?

[size=14pt]The Northern States that adopted Sharia would be better served to combine forces and form a new Nation State,"you can't have your cake and eat it too".[/size]

Removed,

Thanks

Beaf:

I am getting convinced that war is the only way to rid Nigeria off the "born to rule" mentality that is at the root of all our problems, from Jos to zoning.

this beaf sounds like joagbaje. very deceitful people.

and frosbel, whats with the pic? is it necessary?

@ Frosbel, I am in support of you pasting graphical pictures in order to inform people of the brutality and atrocities.
The Nigerian masses bury their heads in the sand whilst atrocities are being perpetrated against children and women too.

I hope these images haunts the dreams of every Nigerian that sees them. Nigerian's might not be setting themselves on
fire like the Arabs, but this is their form of self sacrifice for the cause.

This was exactly how the first civil war started , dumb hausa soldiers were killing innocent ibo civilians and Gowon was the head of state , he did nothing to stop the killings by those unprofessional soldiers , today that mistake has come to hunt gowon and  his people.

I believe some how that the whole middle belt will soon be ignited in an orgy of violence that will sweep the savannah states of adamawa , taraba, gombe and other states like kaduna , borno, bauchi , plateau and nassarawa , all state with a mixture of fulani and indigenes.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Umaru told journalists that[b] soldiers opened fire because the students had refused to return to the University of Jos campus[/b]. He said he had no information about any deaths in the shooting.

Life is worth nothing in Nigeria, you can imagine the kind of justifications this Brig Gen dundee Hassan Umaru is trying to make.  whatever happened to the use of tear gas and rubber bullets?

Would this daft head make the same Justifications if the five dead bodies were all his kids?

The only way to end this situation is split this damn country. Right down the middle.

And why would he open fire on university students? This nonsense does not make any sense. I loathe the Nigerian military.

why have a commisoner of police in Plateu State when it is the soldeirs invlove in crowd control activities. How come the federal goverment deem it fit to import dustbins from a UK company for Abuja but find it difficult to supply the same Police with anti riot gear that would help the police fight irate and angry crowds. Any informed Goverment would supply their police with water cannon trucks, tear gas , sheilds and enough  body armour that would protect the police officers. Telling the national army of a state to be engage in crowd control is not only wrong but a fanatical and insane erorr.

@ Frosbel The pix you posted is misleading. The two dead bodies were from Doruwa in Barikin Ladi and not related to today's incident

Splitting the country would have been the healthiest thing to do but quite unfortunate  some majority tribes are too daft minded to exist alone.

Ghadaffi must be laughing out his head by now , while the people who called him mad can see the wisdom that comes with age and experience.

The CIA must have anticipated these things , I heard some time ago they were already training an army for this kind of scenario yet OBJ mr laughter , laughed at the CIA then.
The way forward is still referendum .
Those who want to stay should stay , those who want to opt out should do so simple.

The Jos students got involved when some muslims coming back from burial attacked two female students and stabbed them. This provoked the students to a protest.

. . . and what happened?
Brig. Gen. Hassan Umaru ordered the killing of more students, like WTF
Why hasn't GEJ fired this man?
Which kind of country is this?

It's time students all over the country join in solidarity with their Jos counterparts and call for a referendum. Students can do it!

Obiagu1:

The Jos students got involved when some muslims coming back from burial attacked two female students and stabbed them. This provoked the students to a protest.

. . . and what happened?
Brig. Gen. Hassan Umaru ordered the killing of more students, like WTF
Why hasn't GEJ fired this man?
Which kind of country is this?

It's time students all over the country join in solidarity with their Jos counterparts and call for a referendum. Students can do it!

A referendum for what?

Tsiya:

A referendum for what?

A referendum to split this country in two, moderate mainly christian south and your beloved Sharia republic in the north.

Obiagu1:

A referendum to split this country in two, moderate mainly christian south and your beloved Sharia republic in the North.

and will that solve the country's problem

MASSOB where art thou?

OPC where art thou?

MEND where art thou?

alj harem:

and will that solve the country's problem

It will solve the problem of having you Sharia brain dead monkeys in our nation!

I am getting convinced that war is the only way to rid Nigeria off the "born to rule" mentality that is at the root of all our problems, from Jos to zoning.

just dnt know what to tell u!!

how stupid can u get

alj harem:

and will that solve the country's problem

[size=16pt]YES[/size]

At least, the incessant daylight murder by the murderous North will end. That's one huge problem solved!

EzeUche_:

MASSOB where art thou?

OPC where art thou?

MEND where art thou?

It's students that can lead the way and the whole world will listen. Students should take this opportunity and fight for our freedom.
I wish I'm still at UNIBEN!

What i still can not decipher is whether this Hausa militants have anything called conscience. For God sake why can you just be killing innocent people for just no reason. I think we need to break this country into probably six or seven because i dont see this jos people willing to go with this hausa killers. Alhajrem, You will not be able to visit Lagos without visa. No free entry, only free exit.

Obiagu1:

It's students that can lead the way and the whole world will listen. Students should take this opportunity and fight for our freedom.
I wish I'm still at UNIBEN!

The students will be slaughtered. Nigerian military has no qualms killing students or even women. We need people who are willing to go where few have ventured. Students are not up for the task.

Ezeuche, chz and co southerners we need to get out of this country fast. Even though we will not be a single country, it pays us to live seperately away from this hausa killers.