Dec 25: Christmas Explosion in Jos

Jos is a city located in Platuea State, a state located on the "middle belt"  between Muslim North and Christian South. The ethnic tension in this region is immense due to the amalgamation of various ethnic tribes and religions. On Dec 25 2010, Christmas day, three bomb blasts went off in Jos, killing over 60 people. Weeks leading up to this, there had been threats given by Boko Haram and supporters of Christmas Day attacks. There had been prior violence in the region with attacks on churches, as well as reprisal attacks on mosques and other areas of public gatherings. Examining the events, one may conclude that this a religious crusade. Undeniably religion is involved , but with more scrutiny there lies ethnic and political inducements. Islam is the clear personifying element that can separate Muslim Hausas from the rest of the country. The Christian religion can be affiliated with as many as 200 ethnic tribes in Nigeria, however, "Hausa and Fulani" tribe is predominately affiliated with Islam. The most inclusive way to describe this predicament is "ethno-religous "conflicts driven by political gains. These fanatics want to achieve an Islamic northern nation, and to do this there must be an expulsion of ethnic tribes form the North and a battle against the Nigerian government.

The following month, there were accounts of NYSC Christian corpers who worked for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) being attacked and killed in Jos for administering voting registration forms. These are all efforts to drive the Christian ethnic groups from these Northern regions. The attacks on these corpers emphasizes the Hausa fanatics and Boko Haram supporters political motives. It also depicts the sort of mutiny that is being formed against the Nigerian government by not complying with social duties such as voting. The bomb and NYSC attacks are all efforts to drive these minority Christian ethnic groups from the Northern regions.These fanatics hope to provoke enough chaos and disruption in the the governing of Nigeria under the presumption that this will finally grant them the opportunity to  detach from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and form their own nation.

Campbell, John. Council on Foreign Relations, "More terror in Jos." Last modified Jan, 20 2011. Accessed April 20, 2012. http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2011/01/20/more-terror-in-jos/. 

Nwanma, Vincent. Bloomberg, "Christmas Bombs in Nigeria's Jos Kill 32 in Attack Army Calls Terrorism." Last modified Dec 25, 2010. Accessed April 20, 2012. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-25/suspected-bomb-blasts-kill-at-least-20-in-nigeria-correct-.html.