A TEXT OF WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE, HELD BY THE JASAWA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, AT THE 17TH ANNUAL COMMEMORATIVE PRAYER OF VICTIMS OF NOVEMBER 2008 POST LOCAL GVERNMENT ELECTION GENOCIDE ON MUSLIMS IN JOS, HELD ON 28TH NOVEVEMBER, 2025 AT THE JNI BOARDROOM JOS, CENTRAL MOSQUE & OTHER GENOCIDAL ACTS
PROTOCOLS
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press. We welcome you to this World Press Conference after observing the Ismalic Prayer where our revered Quranic scholars have recited the whole Holy Quran and prayed for the response of the souls of our dead ones 0n a day like this 18 years ago now. As earlier on stated, we are gathered here today for two important purposes:
• To observe the 17th Commemorative Prayers for the Jos Massacre of Muslims, and
• To present to the world documented evidence of persistent, targeted, and coordinated attacks against Muslims in Jos and Plateau State from 2001 to 2025.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
For us, every 28th November, is not just another date on the calendar. It is a date that subsumed other dates in which unfortunate crises had befalling us, it is also set aside for sober reflection, mourning, truth-telling, prayer and renewed resolve.
It marks the tragic events following the 2008 local government elections—events in which more than 600 Muslims were killed after security forces opened fire on our people, acting on direct instructions of an erstwhile Governor of the State, to “shoot on sight.” Not only that our People have been killed in cold blood, but that our socio economic means of livelihood have also been ruined. Several mass graves at Zaria road Muslim cemetery contained dead bodies from the mayhem.
This date has, therefore, become a symbol of our collective pain and a reminder of the systematic persecution that Muslims in Plateau State have endured over two decades; hence the global conversation about alleged, “genocide,” against Christians in Nigeria compels us to speak up on some of our ordeals. The term genocide did not only entails killing or annihilation of human beings; it also entails annihilation of economic activities, education, and denial in large volumes of other fundamentals to human existence.
As stakeholders and victims of repeated atrocities, we believe it is our duty to:
• Present verified facts of what happened to the Muslim community in Jos;
• Provide documented evidence and statistics of killings, displacement, and targeted attacks;
• Allow the international community to critically evaluate the data for itself;
• Correct false narratives and expose long-standing injustices, lies, and distortion of history.
• Importantly to also remind the forgotten minds about all atrocities meted on us.
• Our presentation today covers major incidents from 2001 to 2025.
1. The Jos Crisis of September 7, 2001
The crisis began when Muslim worshippers at a Friday mosque in the Congo-Russia area of Jos were attacked by Christian armed militias wielding bows, arrows, and machetes.
The violence was rooted in longstanding disputes over political power, land ownership, and the indigene-settler divide, which determines access to government opportunities. The immediate trigger was the appointment of a Hausa Muslim as coordinator of a federal poverty-alleviation programme in Jos North Local Government, a decision that indigene groups protested, claiming political marginalization.
Casualties and Damage
Varying degrees of wounds and injuries led to the deaths of many worshippers at the scene, and continued attacks on Muslims across the streets of Jos left an estimated 1,000 deaths. Our collective and individual submissions to the State Government Commission were further verified and confirmed in the Government White Paper of the Justice Niki Tobi Commission of Inquiry, which found that more than 700 Muslims were massacred.
In one of the mass graves at Rusau Muslim cemetery, more than 300 deaths were buried, others in separate mass graves, too.
Houses, religious buildings, shops, and markets, mostly belonging to unsuspecting Muslims were also destroyed.
The underlying issues indigene‑settler tensions, political rivalry, religious mistrust, and socioeconomic inequalities, remain unresolved and have fueled additional crises in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2011, and subsequent years.
2. The Eto Baba Crisis of 2002
Originally a PDP internal party affair, the crisis erupted during the local government congress to elect the party’s chairmanship candidate for Jos North. The venue of the largest ward primary was moved to a volatile Christian-dominated area, despite the heightened religious tension following the previous year’s crisis. Muslims were attacked, hundreds were killed, many were injured, and several went missing. Numerous vehicles belonging to Muslims were also burnt to ashes.
3. The Yelwa Shendam Massacre of 2004
This crisis was an extension of the 2001–2002 Jos conflicts and reflected the vulnerability of groups labelled as “settlers” in Plateau State. Yelwa Shendam and surrounding communities became flashpoints for violence rooted in indigene-settler tensions, political struggles, land disputes, and Christian–Muslim divides.
Human Rights Watch documented the events extensively. The May 2004 Yelwa massacre alone claimed an estimated 600–700 lives of the Muslims. Tens of thousands were displaced, fleeing to Bauchi, Nasarawa, Taraba, and other neighbouring states. The crisis deepened mistrust, radicalised youth militias, and contributed to later conflicts in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Many displaced persons never returned home.
We are hopeful that the world has not forgetting the 2004 massacre of Six (6) Muslim traders from Ningi, Bauchi State, passing through Langtang LGA, while returning from a market in Yelwan Shandam.
4. The Post–Local Government Election Crisis of 2008
This remains the most devastating incident for us, as it was coordinated and executed with the involvement of the Plateau State Government and supported by elements within the state police command.
The crisis followed the November 28, 2008 local government elections, rumours of electoral malpractice escalated tensions, leading to violent clashes. More than 761 people were reported killed, and thousands displaced. Homes, mosques, churches, and schools were destroyed. Notably three (3) Schools namely Al-Iman secondary, Al- Bayan secondary school and Jaba-ul Noor situated at Dogon Dutse (a pre-dominantly Christian area at that time) where attacked overnight and the students in the schools where set ablest while sleeping in their hostels leading to the death of twenty – Five (25) students.
Muslims boycotted the government-set commission of inquiry, alleging bias. A suit was later filed at the Plateau State High Court challenging the legitimacy of the commission. The Justice Bola Ajibola report, however, echoed the state government’s preferred narrative.
Human Rights Watch described the events as state-supported arbitrary killings. The Jos Muslim leadership compiled a detailed register of Muslims killed—many shot by individuals in security uniforms. The list remains annexed as part of the community’s documented evidence.
Our submissions to the Presidential panel of investigation as well as to the Senate Ad-hoc committee on the 2008 Jos crises, have both captured the extent of damage to lives and property of the Jos Muslims.
5. The 2010 Sectarian crises within Jos and environs
It is a record fact, that it all started when Christian mob attacked Muslims construction workers at Dutse Uku, while renovating the house of, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad, that was earlier destroyed during the 2008 crisis.
The situation escalated into violence, with both Christian and Muslim groups clashing, resulting in the destruction of houses, churches, and mosques. The crisis spread to other parts of Jos and surrounding communities, leaving more than 1000 Muslims dead, across villages including, Gero, Sabon Gida Kanar, Sabon Gidan Foron, and Kuru Jentar (Kuru Gada-biyu) where more than 300 lives were killed, with 150 pulled out of water wells.
At Narkuta cemetery, more than 700 people were buried in mammoth mass grave. An estimated 20, 000 Muslims were displaced from the villages.
The attacks on Muslims spiraled to major highways, at which travellers were waylaid and killed mostly a long Riyom LGA, and with the aide of security personnel using sniper dogs, some decomposing dead bodies were exhumed from shallow graves found within houses in Tahoss.
EID PRAYER GROUND ATTACK AT RUKUBA ROAD 2011
The August 11, 2011, attack on Muslims attending Eid prayers at the Rukuba Road Izala Eid prayer ground in Jos, Plateau State by Christian youths who had warned Muslims not to pray in their Mosque was a tragic incident. The attack, which occurred during Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, resulted in the deaths of over twenty (20) people, fifty (50) cars and other vehicles belonging to the congregations where set ablaze.
No formal or informal investigations were carried out by the government. The Jos Muslim Community wrote a formal complaint to the office of the Inspector General of the federation attaching a video CD with clear faces of the many key actors who displayed the most barbaric aspect ever seen in the history of Jos crisis where they burnt some Muslims corpses butchered the corpses and openly ate the flesh in the said video that went viral. No arrest was ever made despite the incidence being localized within a narrow confine of that community.
6. ATTACK OF TRAVELLING MUSLIMS THAT VISITED SHEIKH DAHIRU USMAN BAUCHI FROM ONDO STATE PASSING THROUGH JOS AT THE SAME RUKUBA ROAD IN 2021
The August 14, 2021, attack on Muslim worshippers at Rukuba Road in Jos, Plateau State, was a tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of 22 people and injured 14 others.
The victims were Muslims traveling in a convoy of five buses, returning from an Annual Zikr prayer in Bauchi State, when they were attacked by a group of suspected Irigwe youths and their sympathizers. The travellers were in a convoy of buses with banners covering their buses clearly indicating they were travellers on a religious mission.
Deceased bodies were also buried in a mass grave at Dadin Kowa Muslim cemetery. Ten of them remained missing till date.
The Plateau State Police Command confirmed the incident and arrested six suspects, while the military and other security agencies were deployed to restore order. Nothing was heard about the prosecution of those arrested.
7. ATTACK ON WEDDING GUESTS AT MANGU, 2025
The attack on the wedding guests from Zaria occurred on June 20, 2025, in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria.
The group, consisting of 31 people, including men, women, and children, were traveling in an 18-seater bus owned by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, were from Zaria traveling to attend a wedding ceremony in Qua’an Pan LGA when they were attacked by a Christian mob. 12 people were killed at the spot. The corpses of two more declared missing were later found making the number of those killed 14. 18 others were wounded. The ABU Zaria Bus was set ablaze with some corpse of the passengers. They were attacked, as usual because they are Muslims.
It is instructive to note, that over the years, there were pockets of such atrocities were innocent Muslim travellers were waylaid notable amongst such incidences where:
a. On 24th June 2018, Seven (7) travellers, including the late Zayyanu A.A Gwandu (a former aide to Senator Adamu Aliero) and his friend late, Zayyanu Shalla (a staff of the NCC) were killed and set ablaze by Christian youths who had barricaded the Bukuru bypass in Jos South LGA. The victims were buried in a mass grave at Dadin Kowa Muslims cemetery.
b. On September 3, 2018, at Dura Du, Jos South – Late General Idris Alkali was intercepted and murdered simply because he was a Muslim.
c. On 24th May, 2014, five (5) Innocent travellers, citizens of Nasarawa State, returning from Maulud festivities in Gombe, were ambushed and killed by mobs at Rayfield in Jos South LGA.
d. It is freshly green in our memories, the interception at Mararaban Foron, and killing of Eight (8) Muslims residents of Ali Kazaure in Jos North LGA, on their way to attend a wedding in Mangu LGA.
OUR POSITION
Based on two decades of documented events, we affirm the following:
Muslims in Plateau State have suffered repeated mostly state sponsored coordinated targeted attacks amounting to genocide.
These attacks were not random; they were driven by ethnic, religious, and political motives deeply rooted in discriminatory indigene–settler narratives.
Successive governments failed to address the injustices or to prosecute perpetrators.
CONCLUSION
We call on:
1. The Federal Government of Nigeria to:
a. Establish an independent judicial panel to revisit all crises from 2001–2025.
b. Ensure accountability for security personnel involved in arbitrary killings.
c. Guarantee the safety and rights of all citizens irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
2. The International Community:
a.To examine our presented data and support impartial investigations.
b. To resist false narratives that distorts the realities of decades-long persecution of Muslims in Plateau State.
3. The Media:
a.To uphold accuracy, fairness, and ethical reporting.
b.To stop amplifying propaganda and biased narratives.
CONCLUSION
Our goal is not to escalate tensions, but to place truth on record. For 24 years, Muslims in Jos and Plateau State have endured violence, loss, displacement, and state-enabled injustice.
Today, we call on the world to acknowledge these documented events and support efforts for justice, peace, and genuine reconciliation.
Thank you for honouring this invitation as we invite you to spare some minutes to watch some slides to buttress all we have said.
May God guide us toward truth and healing.
Yawale Muhammad
President JCDA
28th November 2025
Jos.
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