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Tuesday 21st, February, 2006 HOME | Previous Page

Cartoon Riot: Tension Mounts In Kaduna

•Five Die As Riot Shifts To Bauchi •CAN Blames Police, SSS Over Borno Mayhem • Awoniyi Condemns Killings

By Iyobosa Uwugiaren (Abuja) Sukuji Bakoji, John Adi (Kaduna) and

Abdul Kareem Haruna (Maiduguri)

Residents of Kaduna have expressed fear over the possible spill over of the cartoon protest from Borno and Katsina States.

This stems from previous experiences of tribal and sectarian crises which spread to the state from other parts of the North.

Five people reportedly died on Monday in Bauchi when Muslim protesters set fire to churches and clashed with police, according to Reuters.

Bauchi violence followed weekend riots in Maiduguri and Katsina, but the link with the cartoon on Mohammed could not be ascertained.

Residents said trouble began after a teacher in a secondary school tried to confiscate a Koran from a student who was reading it during class. Word got out into the streets that the teacher had desecrated the Koran, infuriating Muslims.

A Reuters witness saw Muslim youths set fire to two churches and to cars and tyres in central Bauchi. The protesters hurled stones at police, who first used tear gas before firing live bullets.

There was no official word on casualties, but at least five dead bodies lay on the streets while at least 50 people were being treated with various injuries in the main hospital.

The Nigerian Christian Association (CAN), Borno State chapter, led by the Vice Chairman, Joel Bili, on Monday moved a vote of no confidence in the state police commissioner and the director of State Security Service (SSS) for failing to provide security for Christians during last Saturday’s mayhem – which saw the death of 50 Christians and the destruction of property worth millions of naira.

The CAN said at a press conference in Maiduguri that the state SSS director and police commissioner should be recalled.

It dissociated themselves from the inquiry set up by the state government for naming a CAN member on the committee without is approval.

During the violence, it alleged, there was no sign of police or other security presence until the hoodlums finished wreaking havoc.

“With this planned massive destruction of our lives and properties, we the Christians in Borno, have lost confidence in the security agencies in state for failing to protect our lives and properties, which as at the last count stood at 50 Christians killed, hundreds wounded, about 40 churches burnt and several Christians home and business outfits burnt”.

Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) National Chairman, Sunday Awoniyi, described the disturbances as most “despicable, thoroughly condemnable and totally unacceptable.

“These are dangerous and volatile times for this our potentially great but fragile federal republic of diverse people and religious”, he said in a statement issued in Abuja. And “we appeal to all those who love her to exert their influence at all levels on the side of mutual respect and accommodation to strengthen our internal cohesion and harmony”.

Since the publication of the cartoon by Danish newspapers, which portrayed Prophet Mohammed in bad light, there have been jitters in Kaduna, especially among traders and shop owners who said such a protest would affect business.

Caroline Okechukwu has a boutique on Ahmadu Bello Way and resides in the Barnawa area.

She asserted: “I have prepared my load this time. If I hear anything I will just pack and leave the state. I don’t see the sense in something that happened in Denmark making Nigerians burn the places of worship and killing innocent people who know nothing about the publication”.

Ibrahim Abubakar, a resident in the city, added: “The publication is anti-Islam and we know that no true Muslim will take that lightly, it is blasphemy against the prophet.

“But it is not an excuse for hoodlums to take to the streets in the name of demonstration to kill innocent people and destroy their property.

“Those involved are not true Muslims. Islam preaches peace and we are expected to live in peace and harmony with one another”.

Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi last week condemned the publication but warned against unlawful protest about it.

However, this has not doused tension due to the outbreak of violence in neighbouring states which has claimed lives and property.

Police Public Relations Officer, Sa’ad Yahaya, confirmed that security has been tightened.

“As far as the Kaduna police command is concerned, there is nothing like strike by junior police officer”, he said. All officers and rank and file are at their duty posts across the state”.