Plateau Crisis: Military foil another uprising in Jos

By Kingsley Chukwuka

A False alarm of murder by a tricycle operator in Jos, would have triggered another round of violence in the State if not for an intervention of the Special Military Task Force in Plateau State.

The tricycle operator, a Muslim, raised  alarm that his two friends were killed in a Christian dominated area and that his tricycle popularly known as Keke-Napep was destroyed with him not being sure of his safety.

He raised the alarm in a phone call to his sister and immediately after the call, he switched of his phone given an impression that he was dead, a report made to the public by his sister said.

“After so many calls to him, we assumed he was dead”, one Alh. Abdulsalam Ibrahim also said in a report made to the Special Military Taskforce code named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH).

The Keke-Napep operator, Sani Abdullahi who made the false alarm, after 24 hours resurfaced in his neighborhood and was arrested by the OPSH for questioning.

In his statement he confessed that he wanted to deceive the owner of the tricycle who gave him the Keke-Napep on a hire purchase.

Our correspondent reports that false information like this had triggered so many crisis in Jos, living so many lives dead and properties destroyed.

However, narrating the incident to newsmen, the Spokesman to the Taskforce, Major Ishaku Takwa said: “On 1 November 2021 there was a report by one Alh Abdulsalam Ibrahim from Ali Kazaure area of Jos North that one Mr Sani Abdullahi was killed by youths of Anguwan Jarawa in Jos North LGA of Plateau State.

“That Mr Sani Abdullahi a tricycle driver while on his way to convey eggs from a poultry located at Anguwan Jarawa in Jos Metropolis was killed by youths. The tricycle driver claimed that he was attacked alongside his friends and the tricycle snatched from him, while his friends were killed.

“This allegation generated tension in Jos Metropolis. It took the timely intervention of troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN and other security agencies to maintain calm in Jos Metropolis.

“Also, the troops with other security agencies conducted extensive search around Anguwan Jarawa where the killing was alleged to have occurred and hospitals in Jos and no information on any injured person who reported for treatment or corpse deposited in any of the hospitals. We also deployed intelligence to continue to monitor the situation and report accordingly.

“Yesterday, being Wednesday 3 Nov 2021, Mr Sani Abdullahi who was reported to have been killed resurfaced at Ali Kazaure area.

“He was immediately arrested and preliminary investigation revealed that Mr Sani Abdullahi collected the Tricycle (Keke NAPEP) from one Hajia Amina on hire purchase and dubiously attempted to retain the tricycle without paying for it. That is why he claimed that he was attacked alongside his friends and the tricycle snatched from him while his friends were killed”, Takwa said.