*Cites complicity of Dura-Du community in protest by their women
*Says terrorists hiding behind community women dangerous
*Advises Muslims to use alternative routes for own safety
*Islamic cleric saving lives of 300 Christians should be great lesson to Berom people – Respondent
“The Nigerian Army has reported that General Alkali (rtd) disappeared around that Dura-Du axis. The fact that more than 500 Berom Christian women protested against the search at the pond in order to stop the army from draining it is a strong pointer to the complicity of the whole community. Terrorists and killers hiding behind community women is a most dangerous development.”
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has fingered complicity of the Berom Christians in the yet to be fully unraveled murder of Major General Idris Alkali, who only recently retired from service of the Nigerian Army.
It raised the alarm over circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Alkali since 3rd September, 2018.
MURIC’s action came as a respondent, who ventilated his anger hearing updates about how some Berom women protested against the Army’s search of a pond in their community for the missing General, expressed disappointment that, “The Berom Christians failed to lesson the lesson of being peaceful people towards their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters in the fact that an Islamic cleric only recently saved some 300 Christians from being slaughtered by bandits in their same communities of Plateau”.
General Alkali.
The Army General, who retired a few weeks ago, was the Chief of Administration in the Nigerian Army Headquarters up till the time of his retirement.
Security agents traced signals from his cell phone to a notorious pond in the Dura-Du District, a Berom community in Jos, Plateau State.
It will be noted that some Berom women in the community had protested against the Army’s intended search of the pond which eventually became the very place good lead to the whereabout of the General could be.
If they did not know anything about the missing of the retired senior Army officer, watchers of the developments have said, the Berom people of Jos had no business wanting to stop the search.
The search for the General, which began on 22nd September, 2018 involved the Army, the Nigerian Fire Services and local divers.
The General’s car with plate number MUN-670-AA Kwara State was found at the bottom of the pond after spending more than one week draining it. The searchers also found his blood-stained Army T-shirt with his name tag on it. But the body was nowhere to be found.
The “unputdownable” evidences gathered so far about the whereabout of the General informed MURIC’s alertness, The DEFENDER gathered.
In a press statement signed by Director of human rights organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) affirmed that there was more to the disappearance of the retired Army General than meet the eye.
According to the group, there is every reason to believe that the General was targeted by Berom Christian terrorists because he was a Muslim passing through Berom territory.
“The Nigerian Army has reported that General Alkali (rtd) disappeared around that Dura-Du axis. The fact that more than 500 Berom Christian women protested against the search at the pond in order to stop the army from draining it is a strong pointer to the complicity of the whole community. Terrorists and killers hiding behind community women is a most dangerous development.
“It is not a new phenomenon.The fact that four other cars were found at the bottom of the evil pond shows that the spot had been a killing ground for some time. Islamic organizations, particularly the Jamaat Nasril Islam (JNI) have compalained severally in the past about the atrocities being committed by the Berom Christian terrorists but the security agencies paid no attention. Muslims are no longer safe in Berom community.
“Berom Christian terrorists once surrounded hundreds of Muslims who gathered for Id prayer. These were their Muslim neighbours who came out without carrying arms because there was no declaration of hostility at the time. The Berom killers surrounded them, shot and killed them all. The shocking thing was that they roasted the dead bodies and ate them up! The video of this horrendous crime was circulated some years back.
“The Berom Christian terrorists are also in the habit of blocking major highways. They stop vehicles and profile the drivers and passengers. Those who look like Muslims or Fulanis are dragged out and slaughtered on the spot. Their dead bodies are usually dumped in the notorious pond. Sabon Hanya especially between Mangu and Jos has been notorious for the mysterious disappearance of Muslims and Fulanis for a long time. The perpetrators of this heinous crime refer to Muslims and Fulanis as ‘bush meat’.
“MURIC appeals to the Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai, to leave no stone unturned in finding General Alkali (rtd) dead or alive. Nigerian Muslims want to know what happened to him. A whole retired general cannot disappear into thin air just like that. It is a daring assault on the Nigerian Army. This is infra dignitatem. How can ordinary civilians treat a whole general of the Nigerian Army like this?
“We want the culprits identified, apprehended and duely punished according to the laws of the land. The army must also find their sponsors no matter how highly placed they may be. We are also interested in knowing the identities of the owners of the four cars found along with the general’s car. Of course our strong suspicion is that they were all Muslims driving through Berom territory before they were profiled, murdered and dumped in the pond. Perhaps their bodies and that of the general were buried elsewhere to ensure that they are never found.
“The wind has blown. We have seen the ruff of the hen. Those who blame Muslims for killings can now see that the noise makers are the real killers. This one is organized killing by Christian terrorists. We strongly suspect that the killings are carried out with the connivance of certain elements in official circles within the state.
“As a parting shot, we charge the Inspector General of Police to release police dogs for a special search of the community. It will definitely require a combined team of the army, navy and the police with sniffer dogs for the operation to be successful. We have no iota of doubt that Berom land is full of shallow graves where hundreds of Muslim bodies have been dumped. The search should now shift from looking for the retired general alone. It must be comprehensive. Berom community lies on dead bodies of Muslims and their blood cries out for justice.
“MURIC calls for massive deployment of troops to all highways in and around Jos. All unauthorized road-blocks where Berom terrorists profile and kill Muslims must be dismantled. We are constrained to issue a travel alert for Muslims travelling through Berom territory until the situation is brought under control. We advise Muslims to use alternative routes for their own safety.
“In the meantime we appeal to Muslims all over Nigeria to remain calm and law abiding. The military is on top of the situation,” the MURIC said.
