HON. BITRUS KAZE

TEXT OF THE CONFRENCE PRESS ADDRESSED BY BITRUS B. KAZE, MEMBER HOUSE OF REPS, JOS SOUTH-JOS EAST FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY PLATEAU STATE ON FRIDAY 16TH DEC, 2011
Gentlemen of the press:
The outbreak of violence in Barkin Ladi in November and explosions last week along the Bauchi Ring Road again interrupted relative peace in Jos, my heart goes to the victims and relatives. At peace times while unsuspecting citizens on the Plateau relax believing albeit erroneously that everyone loves peace, our traducers return to the works to reinvigorate their evil schemes only to strike when least expected. Festivals and crowded avenues have become their favorite targets, the body language of terrorists provide early warning signs. Like any typical Jew in Jerusalem, peace loving citizens of Jos must at all times remain conscious of possible terrorists attacks.
The Plateau State government in conjunction with all stakeholders took certain hard decisions which paid off handsomely during the Eid-el Fitri celebrations. I urge all citizens to be vigilant and cooperate fully with government and security agencies as they take necessary steps to ensure peaceful Christmas and New Year celebrations. We must shun all forms of intoxicants and avoid trouble shooters, we can sacrifice the fanfare of these celebrations in order to secure a casualty free yuletide.
So far, we are encouraged by the confidence building efforts of the new STF Commander, Major General Olayinka Oshinowo. Since he took over in September the impunity with which terrorist wiped out several families virtually on a daily basis appears to be receding, so are the clumsy statements of the STF spokesman Capt Charles Ekeocha. Troops are no longer being hired for cow search missions, response to distress calls appears to have improved but isolated killings are being reported in the hinterland, there is room for improvement. The relative peace we enjoy in Jos under Gen Oshinowo exposes a trend, STF commanders and Security Chiefs from a particular ethnic stock, region and religion are simply unable to maintain neutrality in dealing with the Jos crises that is if they are not found culpable.
A former Police CP in Plateau was indicted for taking sides, an erstwhile STF commander blatantly refused to hand over some of his men who were implicated in the crisis. Such gross misconduct severely injured the public confidence on the STF, the deep seated mistrust against its operatives must be understood from this view point. Happily, our calls for investigations of crimes against humanity in Jos is receiving attention. A body of investigators from the International Criminal Court, Hague will arrive Jos soon, no one found culpable will escape justice. We are immensely grateful to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project SERAP and its solicitor Femi Falana for this feat.
We totally condemn statements credited to Yahaya Mamood SAN that Jos will not know peace unless Gov Jang is compelled to carved out an emirate for the Hausa-Fulani residents of Jos. This gives credence to our position that the Jos crisis is sponsored by people desperately seeking to foist an emirate system on the Tin City. As counsel during the Justice Niki Tobi Judicial Commission of Inquiry of September of 2001, Yahaya Mahmood knows better that his witness Alh Saleh Hassan himself testified that he is a Tera native from Gombe State who arrived Jos in 1945. His father couldn't have been in Jos 200 years earlier! Records show that his son Shehu Saleh Hassan like Alh Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande and Alh Muhktar Usman Mohammed who also traced their roots to Kano and Borno States, did not only enjoy Plateau State government scholarships but mounted exalted public offices in Jos at various times. Circumstances preceding the creation of Chiefdoms in Kaduna State do not obtain in Jos. Whereas in Kaduna the creation of new chiefdoms freed Southern Kaduna natives from emirate rule, in Jos Hausa-Fulanis aliens are fighting to wrest traditional rulership and ownership of Jos from the natives.
The Justice Feberima Commission of Inquiry into the Jos Crisis of April 1994 reported that "One Alhaji Sale Hassan, a Tera man by tribe, called on the Jasawa community to wrest the rulership and ownership of Jos from the (native) tribes. This incitement by Alhaji Hassan generated tension and created unnecessary sentiments. Thus a seed of discord was sown." By these mischievous claims, Yahaya Mahmood watered the seed of discord long sown by his client. For a former Magistrate and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria former to resort to outright fallacy, intimidation and incitement amounts to serious misconduct and a breach of the Anti Terrorism Act 2011. Arrangements are advanced stage for our team of erudite lawyers to file a petition against him before the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigeria Bar Association.
Thank you for listening!