JOS, NIGERIA – Security agencies in Plateau State have locked down major mosques and Eid prayer grounds in Jos as the city prepares for Sallah celebrations under a cloud of tension. The massive deployment follows intelligence reports of potential reprisal attacks from aggrieved Christian groups and threats from criminal elements, including bandits, following recent communal clashes in the state’s rural belts.
Joint security teams comprising the Police, the Nigerian Army, and the Civil Defence have taken over strategic locations such as the Fibre Mosque at Old Airport Junction, the Federal Secretariat Mosque, and the sprawling Masallacin Eid in Tudun Wada. Heavily armed operatives and plainclothes intelligence officers are currently patrolling these areas to prevent any breach of the peace during the festive period.
The heightened alert comes on the heels of a volatile month in Plateau, where isolated killings in Bassa and Barkin Ladi have once again set the Christian and Muslim communities on edge. Residents in the state capital have expressed deep-seated fears that the violence in the hinterlands could spill over into the city during religious gatherings. Security sources indicate that “malicious actors” may be planning to exploit the crowded prayer sessions to incite large-scale civil unrest.
To mitigate these risks, the state government has imposed strict movement restrictions, including a total ban on commercial tricycles within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis for the duration of the prayers. Military checkpoints have also been reinforced at entry and exit points of the city to intercept any influx of armed bandits or “mercenaries” looking to take advantage of the heightened communal friction.
While the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency has appealed for calm and mutual tolerance during the holy season, the atmosphere in Jos remains cautiously optimistic but tense. Security commanders have warned that any individual or group found attempting to incite violence or carry out retaliatory strikes will be met with “decisive force” as the state struggles to maintain its fragile peace.
