Security operatives avert bloody Christians, Muslims clash in Jos

Security operatives on Monday prevented what could have been a bloody clash between some Muslim and Christian youths in the Gero area of Bukuru, in the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.


Our correspondent in Jos learnt that trouble started when the Muslim boys woke up in the early morning of Monday to discover the corpse of a young man in their area.

The discovery raised tempers as the Muslim youths suspected that the man must have been killed by their Christian counterparts.

They therefore gathered to launch an attack on the Christian community, while the Christian youths had also quickly organised a counter offensive.

The tension created by this development brought businesses in the area to a sudden halt, while children already on their way to school quickly ran back home.

A resident of the area, who simply identified himself as Joseph, told our correspondent that he was just waking up from sleep when he heard a commotion around his house.

“We were just waking up when we saw a group of youths armed with sticks and other weapons protesting, and in order not to be caught off-guard and knowing their antecedents, the youths in our area had to come together quickly in order to ward off any attack on us and our homes,” Joseph said.

It took the intervention of the men of Special Task Force posted to the area to restore peace. They fired shots in the air to disperse the gathering crowd.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Felicia Anselm, confirmed the development. She said that the incident was nipped in the bud before it could escalate.