ON Christmas eve, riots broke out in Jos, after blasts that have so far claimed 84 lives. Every month last year, there were killings in Jos or surrounding villages. Every such incident in Jos is religious, a clash between the two major religions and attempts at reprisals by the losing side in a former encounter.

It also has a political side, a contest for power between interests that are portrayed along ethnic lines. The elections are only months away. If Jos is not safe, the logic will be to blame the government of Jonah David Jang. Those who follow this thinking know fully well that security is the responsibility of the Federal Government.

The attacks have become regular, they are the only things people now know about Jos. The only images of Jos in the international media are of riots. Even within the country, Jos is famous for commotion and endless killings – their perpetrators go unpunished.

Disturbances in Jos have assumed a pattern. The attacks follow warnings, yet security agencies – always accused of complicity – fail to heed them. Some  Christian leaders said information of a violent disruption of the Christmas celebrations was all over Jos more than a  month before the attack.  The Federal Government ignored the information as it did in the past.

When President Goodluck Jonathan promised to punish the perpetrators, he was repeating a line that more than dates 10 years old. No perpetrator is punished. More than five inspectors general of police ago, failure in intelligence has been blamed for riots in Jos. None of the sponsors, who can buy the arms  and provide finances for training of the attackers, is arrested.

How have the many findings and panels governments set up on Jos helped? When will government have the political will to settle the challenges of Jos? Is government concerned beyond the hackneyed words it throws around after each bout of mayhem?

The killings assumed a new dimension since the 2008 local government elections in which for the first time there was a leadership change in the Jos North Local Government Council. Initial riots that were purported tied to the elections have become a normal fair.

Last year was the most disturbing of those years. No month, starting from January, passed without people being killed. The January 2010 riots were, according to information, planned for the 2009 Christmas. When the information leaked, it was moved to January.

Hundreds of people died, settlements were destroyed, but government investigations led nowhere. The attackers spent most of last year on villages where security was lax.

Reports of earlier panels were not implemented. Government’s inaction has emboldened those who also exploit insincerity of leaders and massive poverty to mislead people to fight their political battles.

Jos will remain a major security challenge until the Federal Government finds the guts to stop the waste of lives. This will be impossible unless sponsors of the riots are punished.