The prevailing fragile peace in the once troubled Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau was shattered on Monday when violence suddenly erupted in the Bukuru part of the council as officials of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) stormed the market in the area to enforce Executive Order 003.
Recall that Governor Caleb Muftwang recently issued an executive order to control building and vehicular traffic in the state; hence, anyone found floating the order would be sanctioned.
Explaining the rationale behind the issuance of the order, the General Manager of the JMDB, Mr Hart Bankat, said it was a result of the indiscriminate manner in which buildings are being erected and abysmal traffic within the Greater Jos Master Plan and the prevalence of building collapse. As a result of this, the state government deemed it necessary to regulate construction of buildings and ensure effective traffic control in the state.
He added: “Owners of demolished buildings shall be made to bear the cost of such demolitions; forensics shall be conducted on any building within the Greater Jos Master Plan that collapses due to a structural defect if it is found to be due to the carelessness of the developer or owner or boycott of due processes; such a site shall be taken over by the government.
“Owners of buildings without approvals that are condonable within the Greater Jos Master Plan who have not regularized the same within the time given shall be liable to a fine not less than N1,000,000.00 (one million Naira only) for failure to obtain the approval within the stipulated period.”
Since the beginning of this political dispensation, the city of Jos, the state capital, and its environs have been on a constant slide from being one of the most organised cities in the country to an abysmal state. The state capital is defaced with the indiscriminate erection of substandard structures, hence the prevalence of building collapse within the state capital in recent times. While makeshift shops dot every nook and cranny of the city, not minding the dangers and obstructions they posed to pedestrians and vehicular movement.
However, some analysts attributed the chaotic situation to the crisis in the state, which seems to have diverted the attention of successive administrations from paying attention to the renewal of the state capital to the security challenges facing the state.
Also, there was also the fear by the previous administrations that any attempt to dislodge the illegal traders and pull down illegal structures might snowball into crisis. There were instances in the past where attempts to clear the city centre actually led to unpleasant situations.
Right from day one, Governor Muftwang has not hidden his determination to pursue urban renewal in line with the Jos Greater Master Plan; hence, he came up with Executive Order 003 to control the illegal erection of buildings and traffic in the state, especially within the state capital.
A senior staff member with the JMDB who craved anonymity disclosed that prior to the demolition exercise, the state government, through its appropriate agency, had a series of interfaces with stakeholders, including traders and religious leaders, to discuss why all illegal structures must be demolished in his quest for urban renewal.
He stated that the exercise has been going on simultaneously in different parts of Jos/Bukuru metropolis without any hitch due to the sensitisation earlier carried out, adding that the sudden twist on Monday was a big surprise to the board and all the peace-loving people of the state.
Bankat, and his entourage had earlier that day visited the city center of Jos, the terminus, Dilimi, and other adjourning streets to supervise the exercise without any hitch. There was total compliance, as traders were willing to remove their makeshift shops without being coerced to do so.
It was learnt that Bankat and his team, at about 2:00 pm, proceeded to Bukuru town in Jos South local government, precisely the market area where similar exercises were being carried out. But shortly after he left, altercations ensued between the traders and officials of the JMDB on the ground to supervise the exercise.
Nigerian Tribune learned that in the melee that ensued, some group of hoodlums suddenly went berserk and began to attack people at random in the guise of protesting the demolition. Some of the JMDB members sustained injuries, houses were burned while private vehicles were set ablaze before the intervention of the security operatives.
In the confusion, quite a lot of innocent people, mostly passersby, sustained various degrees of injuries, while two people were reportedly killed in the violent attack.
The unfortunate situation caused tension and pandemonium in the community as other traders hurriedly locked up their shops while residents of the area took to their heels to avoid being trapped in the unfortunate situation. It was learned that the interventions of the security agencies prevented it from degenerating into an ethno-religious conflict.
It would be recalled that before this incident, a police officer attached to the enforcement team of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board was shot dead when task force officials working to clear the streets of trading clashed with hoodlums at the Jos Terminus Market.
Also, a section of transporters and other trade unions, under the auspices of the Plateau State Joint Transport, Traders, and Marketers Association, equally declared a sit-at-home across the state in a bid to voice their rejection of the policy of the government. There is the insinuation that the violence might have been orchestrated and instigated by those against the Executive Order.
However, the traders have absolved themselves of the violent attack on Monday. The spokesman of the Bukuru Traders Association, Mallam Nasiru Lawal, said the unfortunate incident took place some meters away from the market, adding that they were discussing with the Task Force why their properties were scattered without their consent when they noticed the commotion some meters away.
“While we were trying to explain our situation to them, securitymen attached to the JMDB started shooting and, in the process, killed one of our members. While hoodlums hijacked the situation, they burned vehicles. We tried to manage the situation from our end to ensure that it did not escalate.
“We are law-abiding citizens and ready to cooperate with the government in whatever they want to do, but there is a communication gap. The officials of JMDB just came without any prior notice, and we are disturbed by this. Our members were not part of those who burned down properties, and we disassociated ourselves from such an evil act.”
Meanwhile, the state government has stated that it will not succumb to blackmail and intimidation in its determination to develop the state. In a statement signed by the State Commissioner of Information, Musa Ashom, while reacting to attacks on its officials working to implement the Jos City Renewal Policy of Governor Caleb Muftwang’s administration, the government vowed that it would not be deterred from achieving its objectives, which informed the executive order.
The state government condemned the destruction of property, sympathised with those pained by the losses incurred, and assured the public of the government’s capacity not only to rein in this emerging tendency but to also bring perpetrators to book.
“We see this recurring bad behaviour as not only sad but provocative. That the government’s authority to enforce law and order for the common good, despite massive publicity and engagement, can be so brazenly challenged amounts to blackmail to which the government is not ready to succumb.
“As a government that embodies the legitimate aspirations of its citizens, we recall the massive publicity and engagement with stakeholders and various communities.
“It is unfortunate, therefore, that elements fixated on the old ugly path of retrogression are trying to impede the march of progress. But we daresay the time to let go of the past is now, as no amount of resistance by beneficiaries of a bad system will stop the progress being made.
“The government is determined to move Plateau State in the direction of positive transformation, and nothing will stop the attainment of this noble objective,” she stated.
The General Manager of JMDB equally minced no word in saying that the task of implementing Jos city renewal policy under Governor Muftwang’s administration will be pursued to a logical conclusion.
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