By Taye Obateru
Security was tight in the Plateau State capital, yesterday, as the Special Task Force, STF, and the Police took steps to abort a planned violence by some people in retaliation to the violence witnessed in Jos, Tuesday last week.

The group was said to be unhappy over the number of their people allegedly affected by the violence and wanted to carry out a reprisal.

Stern-looking and well armed soldiers took positions at strategic points in Jos in a no-nonsense fashion. The heavy presence of the soldiers were particularly visible along Ahmadu Bello Way, Terminus and Old Bukuru Park.

Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, were also stationed at strategic points while a security helicopter hovered over the city for most parts of the day.

The pre-emptive action of the security agencies nipped in the bud a potential skirmish around Dutse-Uku in the state capital where an argument between two groups of youths almost degenerated into crisis.

Both the Commander of the STF, Brigadier General Hassan Umaru, and the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, confirmed that the beef-up was to forestall any breach of the law in their determination to restore peace to the state.

Meanwhile, security agents have arrested one suspect in connection with the storming on Sunday of the President of the Jasawa Community Development Association, JCDA, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Masallah, by four men.

Akano confirmed that there was a rumour that some people were planning reprisal attacks over last week’s violence following the stabbing of a police corporal adding that community leaders were confronted with the alleged plan but they denied knowledge of it.

He said they chose not take chances by beefing up security and appealed to the people to bury the hatchet and allow peace to reign in the state.

The men were said to have gone to his residence located behind Bauchi Motor Park around 10 pm demanding to see him following which they allegedly threatened to kill him. However, the police responded promptly to a call by vigilant neighbors and succeeded in arresting one of the suspects while the other three escaped.