Nigeria: State challenges federal probe into Jos riots
The national government of Nigeria has set up a committee to investigate the anti-Christian riots that occurred in the city of Jos, Plateau State, in late November. The Plateau State Government, however, opposes the federal investigation and has challenged its legality.
THISDAY learnt that the Plateau State Government has written to challenge the legality of the House of Representatives eight-man ad-hoc committee probing the crisis.
The state government said the committee did not have such constitutional power to do so.
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In its four-paragraph letter entitled, “The Proposed Illegal Probe into the Recent Jos Crisis” addressed to the Chairman of the House ad-hoc committee on the crisis, Hon. Isah Idris Umaru, the state government advised the panel to halt its investigation.
The federal committee immediately rejected the challenge and continued its work.
Meanwhile, the state government’s hearings into the Jos riots have become rather riotous, as the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of conniving with the state electoral commission to manipulate the election result that is said to have been the cause of the rioting. That claim was angrily denied by the state PDP chairman. An eyewitness said that the state committee “almost degenerat[ed] into fisticuffs”.
The claim that election shenanigans sparked the mayhem is disputed by evidence that radical Muslim groups planned attacks on Christians well in advance.
Over 400 were killed and thousands driven from their homes in the riots. Archbishop Peter Akinola, Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, visited the affected area earlier this week.