Soldiers kill two villagers in Plateau State

Two villagers were shot dead and several others injured by soldiers searching for weapons in Nigeria’s volatile Plateau State, witnesses said on Thursday. The soldiers were in the village of Mabudi, in Langtang South district, investigating reports of villagers hoarding illegal weapons, according to one local resident, Justin Kampak. A crowd of villagers was attracted by the commotion caused by soldiers who were shooting their guns in the air, he said. “Fearing they were about to be attacked by the crowd the soldiers fired at them, killing two people and injuring a number of others,” Kampak explained to IRIN. Troops were deployed in Plateau State under emergency rules imposed following Christian-Muslim violence that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced. Plateau State police commissioner, Innocent Ilozuke, confirmed the incident to reporters on Wednesday, but declined to make further comment, saying “it is a military affair”. A military officer at the Rukuba Barracks in the state capital, Jos, also confirmed the shootings and added that three people were injured, one of whom was an off-duty policeman. All the injured are receiving treatment at the barracks hospital. In May, President Olusegun Obasanjo fearful of the violence spreading, declared a state emergency in Plateau State; sacked the elected governor and legislature and appointed retired Major-General, Chris Alli, state administrator. Alli subsequently gave warring Plateau State residents until 7 June to turn in their weapons for cash payments of US $1,515 for every automatic weapon and US $189 for locally made rifles. The response was lukewarm and the authorities believe large quantities of illegal weapons are still in the hands of local militias. Christian-Muslim relations have worsened over the last four years as 12 overwhelmingly Muslim states in northern Nigeria adopted strict Islamic Shari’ah law. Many Christians in this country of 126 million people fear that Muslims are seeking hegemony over the whole of Nigeria through the introduction of Shari’ah. The Islamic legal code prescribes harsh punishments for many offences, including public flogging for drinking alcohol, stoning to death for adultery and the amputation of limbs for stealing.