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200 confirmed dead as troops move into Nigeria's Jos
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-01 16:25 LAGOS -- The Nigerian Federal Government deployed additional 140 armed troops in the troubled city of Jos, capital of Plateau State, to stem the riots which the state government said had claimed about 200 lives as on Sunday.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police deployed to oversee security in the state Richard Chime also confirmed the casualty rate to newsmen, saying the number could be more, local media reported on Monday. The 140 armed troops sent to Jos on Sunday were airlifted from the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna in the afternoon. Earlier on Saturday, the same number of troops were flown out to Jos from the same airport. They were drawn from the First Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna . Addressing the soldiers at the NAF Base, Kaduna, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the the Division, Major-General Moses Obi, warned the troops to avoid acts that could put them in trouble by refraining from brutalizing civilians while maintaining peace in the city. Obi also urged them to strive to protect lives and property of the people of the city as they were deployed in Jos to carry out their normal internal security operations. Meanwhile, the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations Lt. Colonel Mohammed Yerima has also said that the troops while in Jos will assist the police to contain the violence. He said "The situation is under control. The GOC there is in full control. This is just to take care of any unforeseen occurrence. We have to be prepared as we are called in to support the police." "The police are there but they are not sufficient in number and the government felt the military should come in and assist, which is a normal thing," he said. |
