Summary...
- Igbo community in Jos has confirmed that 36 of its kinsmen and women were killed.
- According to them, it was a taboo to bury an Igbo in mass graves or even outside their ancestral homes.
- They Said that those injured were 42. Many more are still missing and goods worth millions of Naira lost.
Report
The Igbo community in Jos has confirmed that 36 of its kinsmen and women
were killed and 42 others injured in last Tuesday’s twin bomb blast at
the terminus area of Jos metropolis in Plateau State.
The Eze Igbo II of Jos, Prof. Joseph Obilom and the Igbo Executive Council in Jos made this known in Jos, yesterday.
They said the 36 bodies had been identified just as many others were
still missing and frowned at the secret mass burial for the decomposing
bodies carried by the Plateau State government last Friday.
According to them, it was a taboo to bury an Igbo in mass graves or even outside their ancestral homes.
”We were not consulted when the arrangement for the mass burial was being made,” they further said.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Jos, the traditional ruler said
his community members sent to locate the bodies were not allowed access
to the bodies on Wednesday and at the time of the carrying out the
exercise, the Igbo community was not consulted to identify some of the
missing people.
His words: “As at now, the Igbo killed are 36, those injured were 42.
Many more are still missing and goods worth millions of Naira lost. Igbo
always bury their dead in their ancestral homes and we are saddened by
this development.
“We have lost our people and means of livelihood. We request the federal
and Plateau State governments to come to our aid by sending relief
materials to cater for the victims.
”We do not allow our people to sleep in primary schools and other
government buildings when there are problems. We take custody of our
people till the wounds are healed but whenever others are taken care of
in terms of relief materials, we are not always considered and never
compensated.”
Obilom also frowned over the neglect of the Igbo in similar situations,
asking that the community should be taken into consideration in terms of
compensation.
According to him, the “inhuman treatment, marginalization and rejection
must stop. We are always the most hit in the situations like this but we
are always forgotten.
”We are in support of moving traders out of the terminus and its
environs but the satellite market should be strengthened to ensure
sanity and orderliness.”
He also called on Boko Haram and other perpetrators of violence to
“embrace peace as killing of innocent people would not solve the
problems.”
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