WHICH SIDE MINISTER MAKU SUPPORTS IN NASARAWA CRISIS?

The recently registered All Progressives' Congress party (APC) demands to relieve the Information Minister Labaran Maku of his duties as the supervising Minister of Defence. The opposition suspect him of being an interested party in the ongoing Nasarawa State crisis.

In order to end the Nasarawa violence, which claimed several lives and wiped out hundreds of houses, troops were deployed to the state by the Federal Government. It is believed that the crisis was triggered by the infamous Ombatse cult, otherwise known as Ombatse militia group.

Voicing the party's statement on Thursday, its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said that Maku is of the Eggon ethnic group, and the Ombatse cult is of similar origins. This fact, according to APC, makes Maku's new appointment as the Supervising Minister of Defence, untenable.

Whatever steps Maku would take in his new capacity towards solving the Nasarawa crisis, they would be judged and most probably misinterpreted, Mohammed alleged.

It was suggested in the statement that Jonathan should immediately relieve Maku from his new duties, as such practice is widely spread worldwide.

Jonathan directed Maku to take the reins of government of the Defence Ministry, as the Minister of State for Defence, Olusola Obada, was sacked last week. Until Mrs. Obada was sacked alongside eight other ministers, the ministry had no senior minister.

The APC also noted that the minister did little to help the matters with his recent interview with BBC. Maku has been "economical with the truth," the statement read, and tried to downplay the role of the Nasarawa State Government in solving the conflict and curbing the activities of the Ombatse cult.

"At the instance of the State Government, several meetings have also been held with Eggon leaders and the Eggon Cultural and Development Association (ECDA), to no avail. It is therefore blatantly wrong for the minister, or anyone for that matter, to say the State Government has not initiated dialogue as a means of resolving the crisis.

"Also, the State Governor has been briefing the President, on a regular basis, over the crisis. He has requested for the deployment to the state of a Mobile Police Squadron as well as troops. While the requests were granted, the deployments are just about being carried out, yet Minister Maku gave an erroneous impression concerning the role of the State Government in curtailing the crisis.

"Thirdly, the State Government has compiled and sent to the Federal Government the names and addresses of the suspected leaders and major players in Ombatse, the perpetrator of the violence. The State Government has also instituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the violence, while assisting the victims of the violence state-wide.

In conclusion, the APC stressed that Maku (as well as any prominent Eggon citizen) has not expressed his disapproval over the Ombatse attacks on ordinary citizens and security operatives. This, the party says, serves as an excellent evidence to show where their sympathy lies.