By Tongnaan Dada Bawa, Jos
The coalition of indigenous youths Nationalities of Plateau has called on all it’s citizens to peacefully come out en mass to exercise their franchise on Saturday, 18th March, 2023 without fear or molestation.
This was contained in a document jointly signed by the State Chairman, Secretary and Public Relations Officer, Dekete Joshua Paul,
Duwam Bosco and
Yonmi Dama, and presented at the Bishop’s court, Pastoral centre, Friday in Jos.
The spoke person of group, Delete Joshua Paul, said such is a sure way to enthron justice and genuine peace, security and stability in the state.
He expressed dismay at a video trending on the social media and described it as a deliberate plan by a supposed Peace Islamic cleric to draw Plateau back to the dark days of bloodshed and wanton destruction of property.
“The attention of the Coalition of Plateau State Indigenous Youth Nationalities has been drawn to a provocative and inciting video by one Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir against the Plateau people, where he fingered a tribe the ethnic extraction as well as the entire Christians onthe plateau ahead of the March 18, 2023 Gubernatorial and House of Assembly Polls”
“In the said video, Sheikh Jingir mischievously played on the sensibility of Plateau people while trying to deploy his “divide and rule” strategy by labelling a particular ethnic tribe which it clearly described who Sheikh Jingir is against religious tolerance in the state.
“He claimed amongst other things, that some persons had approached the Executive Governor of Plateau State with the desire to plunge the State into another circle of violence without educating the public and the security operatives with a single evident which is rather unfortunate and most unpatriotic of a cleric
inciting his followers, saying that jihad is not fought while lying down hence, they needed to arise quickly and execute his order”
He said “We demand that agents of social disruption such as Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir should be arrested and prosecuted accordingly in order to forestall any break down of law and order in Plateau State and indeed Nigeria as a result of his religious bigotry and incitements. Furthermore, we urge Security Operatives to hold Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir responsible should there be any kind or form of religious crisis otherwise their silence and inactions amount to an express endorsement and approval of the excesses of this agent of jihadism”
“We pray that God will help us achieve a united secured and prosperous Plateau to the shame and disappointment of enemies of progress”
