The religious riots spreading through the country, supposedly, as a result of the derogatory cartoons in a Danish magazine may actually be unconnected to religion. According to very reliable sources who spoke to elendureports.com, the riots have more to do with politics than religion.

Elendureports.com investigations have revealed that some elements at the Presidency may have been behind the Maiduguri riots.  The first of these riots started in Katsina on Friday, February 10, after Juma’a prayers. The march to the Government House was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration against the third term bid of Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo. The protesters were mostly loyalists of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the former Presidential Candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). In a bid to disperse the crowd that was growing as the march proceeded through the streets, mobile policemen stationed at the Katsina Government House gates shot into the crowd. This action by the Police incensed the crowd and they turned violent. Even at that, the riots that ensued had no religious connotations as no churches were burned or Christians killed.

From all indications, the Presidency directed the Governor of Katsina State to ensure that the riots were stopped at all cost. The Katsina scenario was part of a larger game plan to destabilize most parts of the country.

Immediately the crisis in Katsina State started a pro third term group operating out of the Presidency went into full battle mode. Operating with funds made available by the Presidency, they convened a meeting in Maiduguri with the Governor of Borno State and the State Commissioner of Police in attendance. The meeting was held the night before the crisis started. After this meeting on Tuesday night the sum of one hundred million naira was made available to the Borno State Governor by the Presidency.

Elendureports.com can categorically state that the crisis had nothing to do with the Danish cartoon. A police officer who spoke under conditions of anonymity, who had actually escaped lynching told our reporters, “Originally I left the house wearing an Arsenal T shirt. But my neighbor jokingly told me to dress in Kaftan. Although there was nothing to suggest any crisis in the air I did as I was told.” It was when he got to the market that he met with the rioters that were burning, looting, and killing. This lends credence to the fact that it was preplanned as most officers in communication were told to disregard any distress calls.

The killings went on for a while without men and officers of the Nigerian Army in the nearby barracks intervening. Even with truck loads of Police Officers in the vicinity, the rioters had a field day as the Borno State Commissioner of Police refused to give orders to his men to disperse the rioters. Hence, the killings went on. The Police Commissioner, according to eyewitnesses, said he needed to confirm the reasons for the killings. He drove off and was not seen or heard from while the riots lasted. The killing spree went on for 48 hours without interventions from the Borno State Government and the Borno State Police Command. Unconfirmed reports have it that off-duty Policemen on uniform were amongst the victims of the carnage.

The bodies of victims of the Maiduguri riots were left on the streets, contrary to the previously perfected practice of removing bodies immediately after such mayhem. This allows government officials to fudge the number of casualties thereby effectively checking the extent of reprisal attacks. But in this case people were informed, through back channels, of the number of Ibo casualties and given the time and place the bodies will arrive Onitsha. This, according to sources, was a deliberate attempt to insight unrest in the eastern part of the country starting from Onitsha.

In Bauchi a young boy was reading the Quran in his classroom. A teacher that is yet to be identified allegedly seized the Quran from the boy. This, according to official reports, sparked off the so called crisis in the State. It is believed in certain quarters in Bauchi and beyond that the event was stage-managed to cause mayhem in the State. The goal was achieved as the so-called incidence in a government secondary school outside the state capital quickly spread through Bauchi main town.

While there have been rumors of the riots spreading to Jos, elendureports.com investigations reveal that the State Governor and other stake holders are working hard to avert crisis within the State. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Gov Dariye made available some security reports to the JNI, JIBWIS and CAN. Although we were not able to discuss this issue with the Governor, a source at the Plateau Government House confirmed to elendureports.com that their security reports point to the fact that the riots are more political than religious.

Another Governor from a northern state who spoke to elendureports.com on the condition of anonymity said he did not expect riots in his state as his people were not interested in participating in a politically orchestrated mayhem. He warned all religious organizations in the State to prevent their adherents from participating in this crisis. He alleged that the problem originated from the presidency. 

We were also informed that the General Officer’s Commanding (GOC) of Nigeria Army units in certain areas were given direct orders from the presidency on what to do in the event of riots erupting in their areas of influence. They were ordered not to intervene. Elendureports.com is yet to independently confirm this order.

As we stated at the early part of this report, the riots engulfing some parts of the country is part of a larger plan aimed at actualizing the third term bid of the President at all costs. There are indications that if at some point there is wide spread violence in the country, it would be used as a justification for postponing the 2007 elections through the declaration of a state of emergency. This would invariably elongate the President’s time in office.

 There are also reports that the President would be making a national broadcast soon. The broadcast, which is expected to come after the public hearing on the Constitutional review, will suggest that the 2007 elections be shifted so that the amendment of the Constitution would take place. Another source told elendureports.com that the broadcast may come before the end of the hearings so as to preempt the outcome.

The above reports support the notion that the public hearings being held all over Nigeria is a charade designed to deceive Nigerians. In the opinion of those opposed to the review of the Constitution, the outcome of the so-called public hearings has already been determined by the proponents.

In a related matter, elendureports.com has been informed that starting March, perceived opponents of the President and his third agenda would become targets of harassments. We were warned to expect arrests and probably assassinations of opposition politicians, journalists and outspoken opponents of the President. We were reliably informed that some journalists, including some people associated with elendureports.com are being trailed by security agents. One of the authors of this story had to hurriedly check out of a hotel in swimming trunks following a call that he may be a target of arrest. The call which came from a very reliably source known to the writer advised him against using Nigerian airports as his arrest at any point of departure was imminent.

Additional reports by Saa Abdul.

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