310 killed by Nigeria's 'talibans' in Bauchi, Yobe n Maiduguri; crises escalate.
By Chido Nwangwu
Founder & Publisher of USAfrica & USAfricaonline.com
http://www.usafricaonline.com/chido.ngrtalibans09.html
As at 12.30am Tuesday Abuja (Nigeria) time, USAfricaonline.com and one of it e-groups [email protected] can confirm that the escalating weekend crises in parts of Nigeria's northern region have claimed almost 310 Nigerians and some radical Islamic sojourners in the areas. Local witnesses and police reports in the northern cities of Gamboru-Ngala, Bauchi, Yobe and Maiduguri indicate that radicals of the Muslim faith burned a police headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno state, a church and a customs and immigration office.
USAfrica correspondents in Nigeria report that the weekend showdown and killings have been very deadly and graphic with rising numbers, unofficial tally at more than 300. The violence and clashes have left thousands of non-indigenous Nigerians in the area very concerned. Ibrahim Yisa, a Bauchi resident told USAfricaonline.com that "these radical fundamentalists have again caused the deaths of many innocent people. Why do these things happen to us in Nigeria? Why?." Reportedly, an engineer's throat was slit by the self-styled Nigerian "talibans."
Meanwhile, the Nigerian police announced that 5 of their officers were killed, as at Monday noon, Abuja time.
Nigeria has faced several, lethal events of fundamentalist violence long before, and since the formal establishment of political independence of the country in 1960. It has also faced more recent conflicts over religion and some religio-politically-inspired attacks on thousands of others since 1999. Some reportedly inspired by the al-Qaeda network. http://www.usafricaonline.com/chido.binladennigeria.html
On April 14, 2002, USAfricaonline.com reported that, for the first wave of religious conflicts 105 persons were killed in religious and ethnic violence in the key northern, mixed city of Kaduna. Churches burned, cars vandalized and stores looted and many southerners especially the Igbo christians left parts of the city and flee to safety almost 800 miles away, or more. Refer: Religious Violence kills 105 in Kaduna.
www.usafricaonline.com/ngrviolence.kaduna.html
Nigeria, a terrible beauty.
http://www.usafricaonline.com/chido.ngrterribeauty.html
Already, these ending days of July 2009 fundamentalists' attacks in Bauchi, Yobe and Maiduguri and the perennial kidnapping and violence problems in the Niger Delta area have left two issues on the national debates:
first, they continue to raise questions about the security capacity and alertness of the federal and state governments of Nigeria;
second, millions of Nigerians are asking why religion should be the reason for destroying lives, assaulting faith communities and decimating property.
Are there any answer, yet, for the hapless Nigerians, the destroyed environments of the Niger Delta and worried investors?
The answers, I believe, are blowing in the wind....
Chido serves as Publisher of USAfrica, CLASSmagazine, Nigeria360 and USAfricaonline.com, first African-owned, U.S-based professional newspaper to be published on the internet. email: [email protected]. mbL: 832-45-CHIDO (24436)
refer:
Nigeria's bin-Laden cheerleaders could ignite religious war, destabilize Africa.
By Chido Nwangwu
http://www.usafricaonline.com/chido.binladennigeria.html