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Plateau Crises: Casualty Figure Faulty-- Dakum

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
October 14, 2004
Posted to the web October 14, 2004

By Taye Obateru
Jos
A COMMISSIONER in the suspended administration of Plateau State, Dr. Patrick
Dakum, has faulted the about 54,000 casualty figure in the crises that engulfed
the state between September 2001 and May, this year recently released by the
state government. He said in a statement on Wednesday that the figures released
were not only incredible but suggested that the interim administration was
"running into the politics of revenue sourcing by groups who believe they will
attract more funding if they give high figures." Dakum said as commissioner for
information at the crucial period of the crises, he was in position to have an
idea of what the casualty figure was like as he sourced his figures from the
police which he considered the most authentic source in the circumstance.
"As the commissioner for information from March 2002 to May 2003, I had the
responsibility of responding to media inquiries on casualty figures and one
clear challenge had been the need to balance the truth as far as figures are
concerned and the potential of such information instigating and or escalating
the crises.
I believe I stayed on the side of truth and caution ensuring that whatever was
mentioned can be verified and will stand the test of eternity," he stated.
Dakum therefore wondered how the Special Assistant to the administrator, Mr.
Thomas Kangnaan, who released the casualty figure came about them, cautioning
against trying to derive political gain from the misfortune of those who lost
their lives in the crises.
According to him, only the crisis in Jos in 2001 and the one in Yelwa had
casualty figures in hundreds while the ones for all the other crises were in
tens. "My comments on this issue are borne out of deep pains over what I
perceive as a deliberate attempt to mutilate history and paint a gory picture
of the past with intent of a political gain from persons who lost their lives
in events that we all feel pained about."

   

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