Daily Independent Online.
*
Friday, June 11, 2004.
Clashes: More soldiers drafted to Adamawa
• Residents
continue to flee Numan
By Sule Lazarus
Special Correspondent
(Yola) and
Gbenga Abiodun
STATE HOUSE (Abuja)
More anti-riot
policemen and soldiers have been deployed in Numan from two states in the North
East to end disturbances in the area and ensure security in Yola,the Adamawa
State capital. The deployment was at the request of Governor Boni Haruna.
Numan, headquarters of
Numan Council, went up in flames on Tuesday, in another bout of ethno-religious
violence that left no fewer than 40 persons dead and properties worth billions
of naira destroyed.
Haruna spoke to
newsmen in tears in Yola on Thursday when he reflected on the enormity of the
destruction.
He also made a
state-wide broadcast in which he said the extent of the carnage is worrisome
not only on account of the number of casualties but also the manner in which it
happened.
His words: “The
events of the last two days cannot be justified by any standard. The resolve of
the government to deal with perpetrators of this mayhem and their backers
cannot be taken for granted.
“The Adamawa peace
project has immense cost implications, it is not an investment that the
government will surrender to the emotional excesses of a few selfish
individuals who sustain their relevance by creating tension and precipitating
violence”.
However, residents of Numan,
the second most populous town in the state, continued to flee to neighbouring
towns on Thursday, despite the heavy security presence to restore confidence.
The state government
has set up a committee to provide relief materials to the refugees. It will
also devise modalities for re-housing them.
Against the background
of the latest violence in the country, Vice President Atiku Abubakar on
Thursday mounted the altar where he preached global peace and called for
religious tolerance and harmony in the world.
His sermon was at a
breakfast meeting he held in honour of Rev. Mark Craig of the Highland Park
United Methodist Church, Dallas, United States.
Atiku said he is happy that Nigeria is
largely a peaceful and tolerant nation, “a uniqueness that rests on the
fact that it has an almost equal number of Christians and Moslems who live
together peacefully despite occasional clashes”.
He praised the
missionary and humanitarian services of the United Methodist Church all over
the world as well as its leadership and followers for promoting religious
harmony.
Craig noted the
positive changes Nigeria has witnessed since 1999 and commended the
“exemplary leadership” of President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku.
US President George
Bush and the entire Bush family attend Craig’s church in Texas.
