afrol News, 18 May - The federal government of Nigeria today declared a state of emergency in the central Plateau state after massacres between two ethnic groups were turning into a religious war. President Olusegun Obasanjo feared the violence here could "spread across the country."
Federal President Obasanjo announced the decision in Abuja today, after he had suspended state governor Joshua Dariye - whom he accused of being "weak and incompetent" - and other Plateau state officials. Governor Dariye yesterday had been rapidly called to Abuja, the federal capital.
Nigerian politicians already last week feared a state of emergency would be announced as President Obasanjo started getting personally involved in the crisis. Top politicians, traditional rulers and others expressed worries that any move to declare a state of emergency "would plunge the state into further crisis," the Lagos-based daily 'Vanguard' had noted.
During the last months, the unrest in Plateau state has built up from a lesser dispute over land rights and livestock between the Tarok people - a mostly Christian people of cultivators - and the Fulani livestock breeders, who are mostly Muslim. The conflict turned violent early this year.
In February, an armed Fulani group massacred 50 Taroks while in church. This was revenged as a larger Tarok group attacked several Fulani villages earlier this month, killing an estimated 300 villagers. As the violence has escalated in Plateau state, a religious element has grown stronger.
State governor Dariye is accused of siding with the Tarok people based on religion. Christianity is the majority religion in Plateau state and Mr Dariye is reported to recently have encouraged Muslims to leave the state. Religious leaders not belonging to the two clashing peoples have increasingly become involved in the conflict.
Last week, the Plateau unrest started spreading to other Nigerian states. In the predominantly Muslim state Kano in northern Nigeria, large crowds on 11 May demonstrated against the attacks on fellow Muslims in Plateau. The protests soon turned violent against Christians. According to Christian leaders in Kano, over 600 people were killed and 12 churches burnt in two days.
In Kano, the state government has issued several curfew orders to control the escalating violence. Tension is reported to have eased somewhat during the weekend after local authorities have done their best in controlling the violence.
In Plateau, however, President Obasanjo was not convinced by the efforts of state authorities and traditional and religious leaders. When visiting a meeting of religious leaders in the state last week, the Nigerian President was criticised by a Christian leader for not bothering to intervene before Muslims had been killed here. Mr Obasanjo answered by calling him "an idiot".
As President Obasanjo registered the growing polarisation among religious and traditional leaders and the unwillingness of governor Dariye to intervene, he was left with no other option than to fire the governor. In a radio-broadcasted speech, Mr Obasanjo today said Plateau state officials had "wittingly and unwittingly encouraged acts that have subverted peace and tranquillity."
- We need to take serious steps to stem the tide of what has become a near-mutual genocide, President Obasanjo said, declaring the state of emergency. Retired General Chris Ali was appointed the new interim governor of the state for a period of at least six months. The federal President nevertheless will have ample powers in Plateau as long as the state of emergency is upheld.
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