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Tag: Jos

  • Explosion kills 8 in Jos, 101 hospitalized – Govt.

    Plateau state government has announced the death of eight persons resulting from an explosion of Chlorine Cylinder in Jos, the state capital.

    Government also said over 100 affected persons were rushed to hospital after inhaling the poisonous Chlorine gas from the explosion.

    The explosion occurred at the site of the state government water treatment plant at the Lamingo water Dam.

    A statement issued in Jos on Saturday by the director of press and public affairs to Governor Lalong, Samuel Nanle stated that, “There was an excess Chlorine inhalation from an exploded Chlorine Cylinder by residents around the Lamingo Water Board Treatment Plant.

    “As a result of which 101 (One hundred and one) people were affected and are receiving treatment at OLA Hospital, Evangel Hospital (Jankwano), Plateau Specialist Hospital and Airforce Hospital.

    “Some of the victims on hospital admission have been discharged

    “A total of 8 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the inhalation of the contaminated air” Nanle stated.

    The statement also said, “The contamination has been contained and does not affect the water which has been supplied to Public Mains; water from the public mains is safe for consumption and is not affected in anyway by the Arial contamination of Chlorine from the exploded cylinder.

    “Government wishes to commiserate with the families of the victims of this industrial hazard and has taken immediate measures to address the issues of expired components of the Treatment Plant and to guard against future reoccurrence of this unfortunate incidence.”

  • Eight killed in Jos attacks

    Eight persons have been killed in two attacks in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    One person was killed in his home, three were killed in an ambushed attack and four in a beer parlour.

    It was learnt that one person was killed and two were injured on Tuesday night when a group of youths alleged to be from the Berom community stormed the home of a politician.

    Youths, suspected to be Hausa, irked by the attack, allegedly ambushed Berom youths, killing three. Their bodies were said to have been discovered in a well.

    Tanko Salisu Nasir, a member of the Tanko family, who survived the attack, told our correspondent on the phone: “We had just finished eating when we heard gunshots. The gunmen killed my 10-year-old brother, Hassan Salisu.”

    He said he was hit by a stray bullet and he regained consciousness in a hospital at Mainasara where four bullets were removed from his body.

    A community leader in Barkin Ladi, Alhaji Danjuma Abdullahi, said the incident was reported to the sector commander in charge of the area, adding that residents were afraid of reprisals.

    Gunmen yesterday attacked a bar at Anguwan Durung in Barkin Ladi Local Government, killing four people, including Mr. Mark Lukas.

    The Coordinator of Stephanious Foundation, Mark Lipdo, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

    He said hoodlums stormed the beer parlour in the afternoon, shot sporadically and killed four persons.

    Police spokesman Abu Emmanuel only confirmed the attack on the home of Alhaji Auwal Tanko. He said he was not aware of the three bodies found in a well.

  • IGP warns against extortion of citizens

    IGP warns against extortion of citizens

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase has warned officers and men of the force against extorting money from citizens of the country on the highways.

    The IGP also warned his men against what he called commercialization of bail application.

    The Police boss gave the warning to his men while addressing men and officers of the Plateau Police Command Thursday.

    According to Arase, “Let me caution personnels of the force to desist from molesting or extorting the public on the course of duties particularly at check points or with bail application.

    He said; “Under my watch, I would not allow my officers to trample on the rights of the public, and I encouraged the general public to make formal complain to my office if any police officer attempt to infringe on your rights.

    “The ban on road block still stands but stops and search will continue without blocking the roads.

    “I want the police men and women to go about their professional duties diligently while you live the issue of welfare to me. I have made a stern promise that I am committed to the welfare and the protection of the men of the Police force in the country.

    The IGP, who reiterate the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari towards the welfare of officers, assured the police that the force under his command will encourage men to embrace school which is important in meeting with the current security realities in the country.

    The IGP announced that his office will pick up the medical bill of N400, 000 to an officer who undergoes surgical operation in his jawbone.

    He tasked Divisional Police Officers and the divisional crime officers to give listening ears to those under them.

    In a welcome address, Commissioner of Police, Plateau state command, Mr. Nasiru Oki informed the IGp that the command in the state need additional command in the Central zone of the state for efficient policing upon calls.

    According to him; “the state only have two command in the Northern zone and the Southern zone of the state which is not enough. The Command also needs a transit camp to reduce officers been stranded, sleeping in the headquarters while on transit.

    The IGP later held a meeting with stakeholders in the state at the police officers mess over the issues of peace and security of the state before proceeding to the Police staff college Jos to address officer graduating from a professional course in the college.

  • Female suicide bomber blew off self, injures others in Jos

    A female suicide bomber who attempted to attack the popular Umar Bin Khattab Mosque on Zoo Road in Kano metropolis, has killed herself and injured few others on Monday.

    An eye witness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occured around 9:21pm shortly after the congregational Isha and Tarawe prayer.

    The witness said the teenage bomber who alighted from a bus, attempted to enter the mosque before the explosives went off, killed her and injured some members of the vigilante attached to the mosque.

    It was gathered that the bomber retreated when she realised that the vigilante attached to the mosque were screening people with electronic device.

    According to the witness, the girl who missed her target, blew off herself shortly after she retreated, injuring those nearby.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Majiya, confirmed the incident.

    He said that only the female bomber died in the attack which left a few persons injured.

    ‘’It was only the female suicide bomber that killed herself,” he said.

    He said security had since been beefed up in the area as combined team of security operatives had cordoned off the area.

    Majiya called on residents to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious persons or movement to security operatives for prompt action.

  • Refuse takes over Jos

    Refuse takes over Jos

    Residents of Jos, the capital of Plateau State, are paying the price of the strike action declared by civil servants in the state since May 5. The stench from mounting refuse hangs thick in the air, to say nothing of the unsightly streets.

    There is no aspect of the state government that is working including government-owned hospitals. The striking union did not only shut down the entire government establishments, they stationed their men at those offices to make sure nobody broke the rule. They want every minute of the strike to count. And it is.

    •A street blocked by refuge
    •A street blocked by refuge

    The worst aspect of the strike is the accumulation of refuse dumps that have formed mountains on major streets of the city. There is hardly any street that is spared of this refuse attack. In some places the heaps have closed off the streets. Rwang Pam Street and Old Bukuru Park, by AP Fuel Station, are examples.

    The worst hit are such commercial streets as Ahmadu Bello Way, Murtala Muhammed Way, Tudunwada, Terminus market, Hwolshe, Dogon Karfe, Rikkos, Bauchi Road, Jenta Adamu and several other places. Apart from the ones in the market areas and major streets, there are more in most residential areas that have put lives in danger of epidemics.

    Staff of the state Ministry for Environment usually placed large containers in most parts of residential areas of the state. When they are full, they are emptied into refuse trucks and disposed of at a location on the outskirts of the city. But now that the workers have laid down their tools, the containers are running with waste. Yet, residents having nowhere to turn to, still aim their waste at the overflowing containers.

    Most residents who live close to such containers can no longer enjoy a good breath; they can hardly sleep, with the stench so thick in the air. In such environments, passersby and residents battle with flies that are feeding on the refuse. Some residents have even taken advantage of the heaps of refuse to defecate there.

    Given this scenario, observers worry about the health hazard residents. There used to be workers responsible for sweeping the streets of Jos on a daily basis as a deliberate measure to keep the state capital clean. But with the ongoing strike, no one sweeps any more.

    The crux of the matter is workers’ welfare. Even before the strike, the workers were without salaries for several months, their morale so low that most of them willingly abandoned their duty post since January this year. Invariably, the mountain of refuse residents are battling may have been accumulated for a period of three months prior to the declaration of the strike.

    Now the entire city is filthy, making driving or walking along the street dangerous in more ways than one. Motorists often wind up their glasses to avoid the odour on the street. But passersby have no option but to inhale the unhealthy air. Certainly you can’t avoid the flies that probably see the walkers as intruders. They slap with their wings and kick with their legs until you move far away from the zone.

    Medical experts have expressed fear of major health challenges ahead. Dr. Samuel Gyang said, “The situation in Jos here is risky for human beings; people are exposed to several diseases already. In this situation, cholera is very likely and when it comes, it is going to affect the entire population because we live with these refuse at home and on the streets. No one is safe.”

    The fear of epidemic is higher at Old Bukuru Park, Tudun Wada, Zaramaganda, Bukuru and Kabong.

    However, given the strike, government officials have no access to their offices; they are hunted by the aggrieved labor union. So it is even impossible to get reaction from relevant environmental ministries and agencies.

    Residents have resorted to personal protection. No one seems to know when the strike will be called off and the evacuators back to duty.

  • Suspected gunmen kill family of seven in Jos

    A 62-year-old retired police officer, Baba Jacob Wangte, his wife, Mrs. Ruth Jacob, 50, and five other members of the family have been killed by suspected gunmen.

    The incident occurred on Sunday night at Sabon Layi in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    Government troops said two Fulani men were ambushed and killed in the renewed fighting in the local government. This brings the casualty figure to nine.

    The Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government, Mr. Emmanuel Loman, accused the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis of failing to protect the victims and failing to arrest the suspects.

    The victims included the son of the retired police officer, Katop Jacob, 27, his wife Rachael, 21 and three of his grandchildren.

    Loman said: “The attacks started since last week in some villages and continued on Sunday. About 10pm, Baba Jacob and seven members of his family were attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen, who killed the entire family.

    “The deceased would have been saved if operatives of the STF had responded to a distress call when residents noticed the gunmen a day earlier.”

    The council chairman confirmed that the retired police officer belonged to the Mupun ethnic group from Pankshin Local Government Area of the state and lived in Barkin Ladi since he retired.

    He said he wondered why such a big family could be wiped out in one day.

    According to Loman, “women protested the inability of the STF to stop the attacks on their communities on that day.

    “That protest was not enough to attract the government troops in charge of the area. Unfortunately, that night, the gunmen returned and wiped out an entire family. Instead of going after the gunmen, the soldiers were chasing villagers, who gathered to defend themselves and their community.

    “The soldiers were busy arresting youths, while the Fulani, who launched the attack, were allowed to escape.

    “The women were angry when two of their children were apprehended. Instead of arresting the attackers, the soldiers arrested innocent youths, who were defending themselves.”

    He said he had informed the authorities to take action on the behaviour of the STF members. He condemned the incident, saying the attackers were well-known to some members of the STF. The spokesman for the STF code-named ‘Operation safe haven’, Capt. IKedichi Iweha, who confirmed the attacks and killings, denied STF complicity as alleged by Loman.

    He said: “The attack started three days ago in Rim, Sho and environs. Our men were deployed there to restore peace. We contained the attacks and reprisals. However, two Fulani men were ambushed and killed. The attack and counter-attack continued this morning, but our men are trying their best to restore peace.

    “The STF will do its best to prevent further killings. We urge the residents to give information to the security agencies and desist from taking the law into their hands.

    “We have arrested some people in our efforts to restore normalcy. We arrested two youths with AK 47 guns. We don’t think these youths have our permission to use such weapons in self-defence. So, the claim of the women that the weapons were for self-defence is not acceptable to us.

    “We will continue to do our best to stop further killings. It is unfortunate that some have died. I don’t know if the victims were members of a family.”

     

     

  • Jos Theatre Festival begins

    Jos Theatre Festival begins

    Lovers of theatre in the tin city of Jos can look forward to enjoying a marathon of stage plays, as the ninth edition of the Jos Festival of theatre kicks off today.

    The Festival which runs to March 14, will showcase a number of plays to be staged at the Alliance Francais premises from 4:30pm  to 7pm daily.

    The theme of the festival is ‘Untold Stories…making a difference through the arts.’

    The line up starts on Tuesday with a performance of August Wilsons’ King Hedley II,a story on the struggles and secrets warped around a young black man named King Hedley II. King leaves prison and reunites with his mother and wife, Tonya. He detests his mother’s boyfriend of many years who suddenly resurfaces. King’s wife becomes pregnant but wants an abortion because there is little guarantee King would not end up in jail again.

    Last Stand, written by Sefi Atta and directed by Patrick-Jude Oteh, is about a dying old man’s wish to correct past misdeeds. In the play, General Mashood, after three failed marriages is bogged down by a terminal illness with his sister caring lovingly for me. He desires his son to manage his estate but a strained relationship exists between them.

    Also scheduled to be staged is Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba’s ‘Body Parts,’ a play that revolves around a group of unemployed young men who create jobs for themselves by selling their body parts. What follows is as hilarious just as it is thought-provoking. Other plays to be performed include Castles In The Air (Barclays Ayakoroma) and The Bonds of Interest (Jacinto Benavente).

    The festival which has received support from the U.S. Mission, Nigeria, Grand Cereals Limited and others will also feature daily workshops and exhibitions.

  • Ayakoroma, others for Jos Festival Theatre

    Plays by Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, Adinjoyi Ojo Onukaba and Sefi Atta will feature at this year’s annual Jos Festival of Theatre from March 10 to 14.

    Ayakoroma’s Castles In The Air, Onukaba’s Body Parts, Atta’s Last Stand, Jacinto Benaventure’s The Bonds of Interest and August Wilson’s King Hedley II are the five plays alongside a pre-festival play to be staged a few days to the opening of the festival.

    The theme of the festival is: Telling Untold Stories…making a difference through the arts.

    According to the organisers, the festival will include arts management workshops that will focus on proposal writing, directing and acting classes. The workshops will be facilitated by theatre professionals based in the city of Jos.

    Castles in the Air exposes traditional prejudices on mixed marriages between diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria.  Aminu and Stella are promised the sum of N10m if they get married within a year and give birth to a son. The race is on, but is the two of them ready to join the race? Body Parts is the story of a group of young men who out of being unemployed create jobs for themselves by hawking their vital organs to the highest bidder. There is a strong demand for kidneys and they have very healthy ones to sell. But there is a snag as they sell to someone who has a history with their family dating back thirty years.

    Last Stand, premiered at the Terra Kulture, Lagos last November and it is the story of a family torn apart by the will of their dying patriarch, a retired military General. Who does he leave his estate to? The designated heir is not interested in the wealth and that leaves the estate open to a fight between two wives, a dead wife and their children.

    The Bonds of Interest is the story of two young men who live their lives duping people.  They extend this by getting a lot of services on credit. They then plan the ultimate scheme – one of them is to marry the daughter of the wealthiest man in the city in the hope that when he dies they will inherit his wealth, pay off their debts and live happily as respected men of the society. The plan backfires as the one pretending to fall in love actually falls in love. Being chased by the law and their creditors, they decide to split up but these further compounds their woes as the daughter in question decides not to let go.

    King Hedley II depicts life in Pittsburgh in 1985. King Hedley II is out of jail. He comes back home, gets married and tries to live making his own rules. He lives with his mother and his wife whom he would very much love to see get pregnant. She eventually gets pregnant but decides to have an abortion as she would not want to have a child who would not know his father. His mother’s lover of thirty years appears and decides to formally marry his mother but before this happens, he asks her to tell King Hedley II who his real father is. Unfortunately, he had killed his father during a row over some gambling debts. On the day, they decide to get their marriage license; all the secrets, which she had taught she will take to her grave come tumbling out with disastrous consequences. The festival is receiving support from the US Mission, Nigeria, Grand Cereals Limited and a host of corporate and individual supporters.

     

  • Help for IDPs in Jos

    Help for IDPs in Jos

    Hope is fading among internally displaced persons (IDPs). They are homeless, poorly clothed, barely feeding and in woeful health. Thankfully, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) is providing free medical treatment for those in Jos, the Plateau State capital. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    It is not hard to imagine what would have become of internally displaced persons (IDPs) without non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Thousands count themselves lucky to escape from their communities in the Northeast as Boko Haram insurgents invaded. Many more were killed, some kidnapped. Those who fled have been grappling with a wide range of challenges at relief camps: bad weather, terrible accommodation, insufficient food, even diseases. Fate hurts. But the deepest cut may be that government has essentially turned its back on those who were violently pushed out of their comfort zones.       Thank goodness, the NGOs have been providing the little that the IDPs have, from camps to clothing items to meal rations. Now, in Jos, the Plateau State capital, one interventionist group has also treated thousands of IDPs for various health conditions. Boys who fled with their parents before they could be circumcised went  through the surgery at the camps. Eye patients’ vision improved. There was even talk of a school for IDP kids.

    The IDPs once thought the government would promptly come to their aid. They have since known better.

    The Stefanos Foundation provided the camp for the IDPs in Jos but the NGO is also losing hope as no government agency ever made attempt to show sympathy for the displaced persons.

    “I offered this camp to the IDPs since four months ago,” said the coordinator of the NGO, Mr. Mark Lipdo. “The camp is supposed to be a temporary one; we intended to move them out of danger zone and bring them here for safety, after which we expected relevant government agencies like National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA ) to come and take over from us and provide relief for these innocent Nigerians by providing them permanent homes and rehabilitate them, but up till now no government has come up in spite of our appeals.”

    Continuing, Lipdo said, “More than 20 communities were sacked by Boko Haram in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states. Most of the inhabitants of those communities were so lucky to escape. We were able to rescue some of them and brought them to this camp. There are more than 2,000 of them in Jos camps; there are 3,000 of them in Taraba State and another 3,000 in Abuja; they are all under the care of the Stefanos Foundation.

    “My most worry now is those IDPs that are still in Cameroon, there about 28,000 of them in Cameroon and they are in a very deplorable condition there. Recently there was an outbreak of cholera in the Cameroon camp and over 300 of them died of cholera due to the deplorable condition they are living in there. We are making frantic efforts to bring them down to Nigeria.

    “But while we are making efforts to reach out to those in Cameroon camps, we are facing serious medical challenges at the Jos camp which we have to address, especially with the harsh cold weather of Jos, these people are coming from warm zone and they are finding the Jos weather a challenge, many of the especially the kids are already victims of pneumonia due to the effect of the cold, so many of them are down with malaria, Hepatitis etc. So, since I am not a medical expert, we have to reach out to another charity organisation to come to their aid by offering free medical assistance. That was when we got the consent of Tina Bawa Ministry International to help out.

    The NGO organised a three-day medical outreach in the IDPs camp to attend to various medical challenges. The medical team comprising nurses, doctors and community health workers, set up clinics to handle specific cases. There was an eye clinic, sections for children and women, and there was a dental clinic as well as surgery theater, a laboratory and dispensary. There was a section for consulting medical doctors.

    The team treated such cases as pneumonia, malaria, hepatitis, among but they also found that most of the male children in the camp were not circumcised at infancy. Now between the age of 5 and 12 most were made to face the medical procedure at the camp. More than 50 of them underwent the surgery of circumcision during the free medical outreach.

    Most of the adults at the camp were tested fro eye problems like cataract and glaucoma. Some were given lenses to enhance their sight while some were given eye drop to correct their conditions. The drug dispensary unit attended to all the victims based on prescription the medical doctors. As many as the IDPs that are in the camp had their health challenges were attended to within the three day allocated for the medical outreach.

    The consultant medical doctor and head of the team Dr. Daniel Odom said the major challenge at the camp was malarial infection. Almost all the IDPs at the camp had cases of malaria, some diagnosed for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, pneumonia, eye problems among others.

    The coordinator of Tina Bawa Ministry International, Rev Mrs. Tina Bawa, who sponsored the free medical outreach said, “The ministry is a church run by me and my husband. But like a non-governmental organisation, we have programme for the welfare of the less privileged especially children and women. I was moved when I was told of the plight of the women and children in this camp. We help vulnerable women and children of this nature, and we have done it in so many places across the country. It is a pity that in all crisis situations, women and children suffer the consequences. This is what is going on in this camp; these innocent children have been driven out of their homes for no fault of theirs. Now a Good Samaritan assembled the IDPs in camps for government to take over their responsibility. But as you can see, government has turned their attention away from these people.

    “So my ministry had to contact our volunteer medical personal across the country to come for another humanitarian work in this camp about 8 of them headed to the call, some are to busy to come, but those volunteer we have here are good enough to offer the best medical assistance to these IDPs. We know government have refused to cater for these innocent Nigerians, but we want to move from the level of lamentation into the level of action. If all other Nigerians will come to the aid of these people, they will not need government for anything. So, let us stop lamenting government inadequacy of carelessness, let us help them the little way we can.

    “Like I said, over 8 volunteer doctors were engaged in the four-day free medical program, with the aim of bringing soccure to these women and children. We need to  make them feel that despite their challenges there are people who care for them. That is what is expected of us as fellow Nigerians”

    The joy of the IDPs over the free medical program knows no bound, in spite of their deplorable condition, they could still put on some smiles to demonstrate their appreciation. One of them, Dauda Buba said, “I don’t know the last time I went to hospital for medical treatment, that should be over six months now. Since we were drove out of our homes by Boko Haram five months ago, I thought of only what to eat with my family, but today these angels of God decided to bring the hospital so close to us for free treatment. I ve been down with malaria since this new year, now I have been treated and given free drugs”

    Hamisu Dogo, 20, “I was treated for malaria, I was also screened for Hepatitis, but they said I did not have Hepatitis symptoms so I was given the prevention vaccine by the medical team”

    Founder of the Stefanos Foundation, Mr. Mark Lipdo said, “I will not be discouraged by government’s refusal to cater for these people, I will continued to do my best to assist them, we are even making efforts to bring other IDPs trapped in Cameroon back to Jos.

    Mr. Lipdo also revealed the school plans for the IDPs, “It is obvious that government is not ready to come to the aid of these people, but the children of the IDPs deserved to be in school. So we have concluded arrangements to organize classes for them. We have so far identified about 405 children in the camp. We have purchased some exercise books and other instructional materials and very soon, the lessons will commence.

  • Cleric distributes relief materials to IDPs

    Cleric distributes relief materials to IDPs

    SOME INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS DURING THE DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF MATERIALS BY ARCHBISHOP OF CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF JOS, REV. IGNATIUS KAIGAMA, IN JOS ON TUESDAY.
    SOME INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS DURING THE DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF MATERIALS BY ARCHBISHOP OF CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF JOS, REV. IGNATIUS
    KAIGAMA, IN JOS ON TUESDAY.