By Salisu Shittu, Jos
The Muslim communities in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State have resolved, that no church should be destroyed within them, in the interest of peace and tranquility.
The Jasawa Community Development Association (JCDA), an umbrella body of Hausa and Fulani Muslims, of Jos, made the resolved in a peace meeting held on Sunday, at the Conference hall of Jos central Mosque.
The meeting convener, and National President of JCDA, Shehu Ibrahim Masallah, said it was necessary to parley in other to have a consensus approached to the uprising threats of miscreants in the aftermath of penultimate Saturday’s attack on Muslim, travellers along Gada-biyu-Rukuba road of Jos North LGA.
“We see the urgent need to sermon the stakeholders to fashion out means and manners of restoring peace in the local government area,” he said at the opining of the parley.
The Association in a nine point communique, signed by its national Secretary Alhaji Aminu Mato, said it was resolved that all Churches within Muslim communities, should not be touched.
“It is our resolved that no body should, destroy, burnt or vadalised any church within us.
“This is so because we have realized that some politicians are using this kind off opportunity to achieve their surreptitious objectives knowing fully well that religion is very sensitive.
“This will go a long way to prevent further occurrence of crisis in Jos and its environs.
“We have equally resolved that vigilante groups within our domains will work and assist the security agencies to ensure peace and harmony within Jos and its environs and agree that anybody caught attacking innocent citizens or causing trouble will be handed over to the security agencies.”
The communique further urged the Plateau State government to be proactive before a crisis escalated in any community and ensured that justice was done for those who were cheated.
“We urged parents to ensure adequate and proper monitoring of their children and ward’s.
“We all resolved that the issues of school drop outs amongst our youths and jobless amongst them will be looked into aim at reducing the menace of criminality.
“We will lias with the necessary agency of government to also ensure rehabilitation of those youths that engaged themselves into illicit drugs,” the communiques read amongst others.
The peace parley have in attendance, religious leaders, community leaders within and outside Jos, as well as other stakeholders in attendance, also aimed at strengthening peace in Jos.
Chairman of Jos North Local Governmanet Council, Hon. Shehu Bala, on his part admonished parents to caution their children/ward, to desist from hiding under the guise of reprisal, attacking and killing inncocent people in certain areas of the local government.
He said: “Parents must rise up to not only take care of their children or wards, but to also ensure that this boys stops attacking people on the quise of reprisal over the happening of last week.”
Hon. Bala said miscreants from across divide of both Muslim and Christian youths have now taken undue advantage of the recent unfortunate incident to perpetrate crimes.
“Let reiterate that any one caught would be desicively dealt with,” he said.
He said thank God, there has been serious improvement in the area of security in the local government area for some days now.
“Since the last incidence of few days ago, nothing has happened again, and the Government has put serious security measures in place across the identified flashy areas,” he said.
On the sealing of AYM Shafa filling station over the killing of a student close to the University of Jos, he said investigation has revealed the exact happening.
“After the sealing of the structure, a lots of statements were made, which have helped police investigation.
“Information gathered will surely lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of that act.
“Very soon the station will be unsealed for business to continue,” he said.
