Plot to scuttle Jonathan’s swearing-in: FG moves to avert bloodbath

LAGOS – Consequent upon the uncovering of a deadly plot by a group of politicians and activists to scuttle the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan and state governors on May 29, 2011, security agencies have been put on red alert with a view to averting the type of carnage which erupted in the aftermath of the April 16, 2011 presidential election in parts of the North.

An earlier plot, specifically targeted at President Jonathan, was uncovered in March just before the elections which led to allegations and counter allegations of “a plan to poison.”



Two leading Northern political operators were arrested but later released.

The focal point of this latest plot is to create a wave of instability in the country just before the handover date, thereby making the country ungovernable and, concomitantly rendering the May 29, hand-over date in the country unfeasible.

Already, personnel of security agencies in the country are focusing on the activities of the leaders of the “nascent group.”

“The activities of these elements are being monitored,” Vanguard was told.

The plot was the outcome of a meeting held on Friday, May 6, 2011, along Jabi Road, Angwan Rimi, in Kaduna North Local Government Area.

Vanguard could not ascertain at press time whether the group’s meeting, scheduled to hold yesterday in Kaduna, actually held.

Yesterday’s meeting was expected to have come up with committees that “will handle various aspects of the strategy,” according to sources.

National Secretary of one of the major political parties in the country is said to be the coordinator of the group, just as some leaders of the same political party are members.

According to information available to Vanguard, after their meeting of May 6, “the following frightening plan of action were adopted:
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i. That riots would be instigated in Kaduna, Bauchi, Plateau, Borno and Kano States to precipitate reprisals against Northerners in the Southern states;

“ii. That members will infiltrate extremist religious groups to co-opt them into the mission, in order to heighten the tempo of unrest and attract international attention;

“iii. That sensitive information about the government will be aired through the Hausa Service of foreign media networks to discredit the government and inflame passion among the citizenry;

“iv. That all Hausa/Fulanis holding key appointments in the federal administration will be labelled anti-Islam and anti-North, while their property and families will be identified for attack.”

“v. That the circulation of inciting messages will be intensified, while Muslim clerics will be used to portray those supporting Mr. President as non-Muslims. The clerics will be encouraged to (employ means) justify their vilification of Mr. President’s supporters in the North;

“vi. That the picture of Mr. President kneeling down before Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, will be circulated among Muslim clerics in the North, as evidence that he was a candidate of Christians, hence Christians should be targeted during the planned riots to exacerbate the crisis;

“vii. That media organisations sympathetic to the cause of the North would be used to mobilise youths in rural areas to join the campaign;

“viii. That Northerners sympathetic to the cause of (a particular presidential candidate) in the employ of the Federal Government will be tasked to sabotage its programmes and procure sensitive documents that will be used to blackmail the authorities;

“ix. That members would engage in aggressive campaign against the government through various social networks such as the Facebook;

“x. That text messages will be utilised to portray the post­election violence as a manifestation of the antagonism between Christians and Muslims;

“xi. That text messages will be sent to prominent Hausa/Fulani politicians to coerce them to back out of Mr. President’s administration;

“xii. That violence will be engineered in various campuses of higher institutions in the North along religious and ethnic lines, to attract reprisals in the South;

“xiii. That the atmosphere of insecurity, lawlessness and fear will be sustained through propaganda and blackmail;
“xiv. That trade unions sympathetic to their cause will be funded and mobilised to undermine government programmes;

“xv. That the fuel crisis in the North should be sustained and exploited to instigate the kind of unrest witnessed in the Middle East; and

“xvi. That members will send false bomb alerts across the country to keep the security agencies on their toes and cause panic among the citizenry.”

Source : www.vanguardngr.com