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Sabon Gidan Kanar
Witnesses said that on the morning of January 19 the village head, who is Berom, called the
Hausa-Fulani together and assured them that there would be no problems in Sabon Gidan Kanar.
Shortly after the meeting, however, an armed mob of Berom from outside Sabon Gidan Kanar
began setting fire to Hausa-Fulani houses and attacking the Hausa-Fulani residents. One of the
witnesses, whose mother and three other relatives were killed in the attack, said he pleaded with
his Christian neighbors to help: “We begged them, ‘Our fathers were born here—we were born
here. How can you join with them to kill us?’” he recalled. “None of them listened to us. They said,
‘Your people in Jos killed our people in Jos. That is why we are going to kill you.’” 148
Muslim leaders from Sabon Gidan Kanar provided the federal authorities with a list of 62 Muslims
who were killed in the attack: 44 men, 8 women, and 10 children. They also said that the town’s
mosques and two Islamic schools and 220 Muslim houses and shops were destroyed. 149 Hausa-
Fulani leaders said that following the attack some of the witnesses went to the police
headquarters in Jos, along with witnesses from other communities, to file police reports. The two
witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, however, said they had not gone to the police. Two
years after the attack, they said none of the Hausa-Fulani had returned to Sabon Gidan Kanar. 150
Sabon Gidan Forum
Witnesses said that on January 19 the village head, who is Berom, called the people together and
said there would be peace. That afternoon, about 4 p.m., one of the witnesses said he saw many
Berom people coming into the village. He recognized some of them from a nearby village. 151 The
attackers, armed with guns, sticks, and machetes, began burning Hausa-Fulani houses and killing
Hausa-Fulani residents, witnesses said. A Hausa-Fulani leader from Sabon Gidan Forum told
Human Rights watch that about 50 people were killed in the attack. He said the Muslim homes and
mosques were also destroyed. “There are now no Muslims living there,” he added. 152 Muslim
leaders in Jos provided Human Rights Watch with a list of names of people killed in the January
violence. There were 56 names listed under Sabon Gidan Forom. 153 The three witnesses
interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they had not filed a report with the police.
148 Human Rights Watch interview with a Sabon Gidan Kanar resident, Jos, January 29, 2012.
149 The Muslim Forum Sabon-Gidan Kanar, “Report of What Took Place in Sabon Gidan Kanar on Tuesday the 19th January 2010,” p. 2.
Copy on file with Human Rights Watch.
150 Human Rights Watch interviews with a Sabon Gidan Kanar residents, Jos, January 29, 2012.
151 Human Rights Watch interview with a Sabon Gidan Forum resident, Jos, February 5, 2012.
152 Human Rights Watch interview with a Hausa-Fulani leader from Sabon Gidan Forum, Jos, February 5, 2012.
153 Plateau State Muslim Ummah, “Muslims Massacred Toll Recorded January 17 th 2010, Jos and Environs Crisis.” The victims named on
the list were 52 men, 1 woman, and 3 children.
61 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | DECEMBER 2013