WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES:
A RETROSPECTIVE ON A WEEK OF DEADLY RIOTS

I (John) feel a lot different today that I did in October of 2001. Last year, in the US and the rest of the world, the talk was of 9-11. In Jos, Nigeria all we could think about was 9-7. That was the day the Jos riots started. When the crisis began, I was about one kilometer from the Jos main market in an electronic repair shop when I heard a lot of commotion in the street. I ran to the door and saw a lot of people moving in our direction away from the market. They were in a hurry, and I could see fear in their eyes. I saw a woman that I know moving with the crowd. Janet and I had bought potatoes from her for about five years. I asked her if there was a problem and she said, "They are fighting around the market," and she quickly moved on. Hundreds of people continued to run down the street, and I decided I would go home. I later learned that we were in the middle of a very serious situation in Jos.

The next morning I went to the EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria—Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) Guest House to get the latest news on the Jos situation. As I drove the five minute drive to the guesthouse, I noticed smoke coming from the direction of town. It was enough smoke that it had to be from more than one house or place of business. I was told that fighting erupted in Jos around the main market. Tensions had been rising ever since the appointment of a Muslim Hausa man to administer the government poverty alleviation program in predominantly Christian Jos. When Christians prevented the man from taking office, some Moslems in Jos threatened to riot, and finally did on Friday, Sept. 7. They left Friday Mosque and started burning Christian churches, homes and businesses. Then many of the Christians retaliated, burning mosques, places of business and Moslem homes.

Cars were torched during the Jos Riots beginning Sept. 7, 2001

About 10:30 a.m., Tom Crago and I decided to go to nearby TCNN (Theological College of Northern Nigeria) to send e-mails because our phone was out of order. On the way to Bukuru/TCNN we noticed eight torched (burnt) vehicles about one kilometer from Boulder Hill, where we live. When we arrived at TCNN, we immediately met Samuel Dali, an EYN leader serving on the TCNN faculty, and Patrick Bugu, who had just returned from studies at Bethany Seminary. They said they were ready to come to Jos and check on us. It was evident that the situation and the uncertainty about the future caused them to be anxious.

On the way back to Jos we decided to go another way, through the town of Rayfield, because of the many army roadblocks on the main road. That was a big mistake because we encountered five separate vigilante roadblocks along the way. The roadblocks were a bad experience for us. At one roadblock they shouted, "Muslim or Christian?? We were later told that some vigilante groups would ask people to recite the Lord's Prayer or a Bible verse as proof of their Christian faith. At one of the roadblocks they threatened to pour gasoline on the hood of the car, which I took as a threat to burn the car. At the roadblocks I would simply tell them that I lived in Jos and that I was trying to get home to protect my wife. I cannot begin to explain what it felt like to drive inside the walled compound of Boulder Hill.

We could hear gunfire through out the night and even during the daytime. With no phone we felt quite isolated, so we stayed close to Boulder Hill with our ears glued to BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and VOA (Voice of America). On Sunday our close friend Rev. Larry Davis and a couple of other Baptists came by to check on us and let us know what was happening. All the Baptists in Jos had moved to the Baptist Guesthouse across from Hillcrest School, which is near our compound, for security reasons. The entire mission community had been in communication, and there was an evacuation plan in case the situation demanded it. The plan was to call the American Embassy in Abuja, the capital, and request an escort to enable the Jos mission community to caravan to Abuja. We were told to pack a "flee" bag and be ready to evacuate with short notice if it became necessary.

In this small living room thirteen people took refuge on Sept. 12, 2001.

Things in Jos seemed to have calmed down until Wednesday the 12th of September. I had gone to the EYN guesthouse to check with Markus Gamache, the guest house manager, on the present conditions. In the guest house/church complex there were many EYN refugees who had left their homes and had run to the safety of the church. Things appeared to be calm but clouds were building that Wednesday morning. The overcast, cloudy, dark sky gave me an uneasy feeling and I decided to return to Boulder Hill immediately. It must have been about 10:30 a.m. that Bitrus Nyani, who also lives on Boulder Hill, came and told us to immediately go to the back house on Boulder Hill and hide. Bitrus was told that the Muslims had a call to prayer early Wednesday morning. When they were dismissed, they were given guns and told to go and retaliate. A soldier told Bitrus that the Muslims were coming to take our side of town. Everyone on Boulder Hill left their houses and came to the Cragos' 2 bedroom flat. As 13 of us sat together with curtains closed and the lights turned out, each one silently praying, we could hear heavy machine gun fire and even occasional loud blasts that sounded like artillery fire. We learned later that the fighting was about two or three kilometers away, but it sounded to us as if it were two or three blocks. I think that was our worst hour.

When the riots started, we had been in Nigeria for about two weeks after returning from our furlough in the states. During that two weeks we had made a trip to EYN headquarters in Adamawa State. We were low on Naira (the Nigerian currency) and low on food. Our source of Naira was not in Jos during the crisis. Because of the short time we had been back in the country, we didn't have an opportunity to stock up on foodstuffs. Needless to say, we were concerned about food. When we would venture a few blocks from the compound, we saw only soldiers. No one was on the street selling food. After a few days we found a little food here and a little food there. Around the 14th of September, I went to the Baptist guesthouse (4 or 5 blocks away) to check on the latest news. Rev. Larry Davis told me that he had found eggs on a back street. I immediately went to buy a flat of eggs. On the way I also purchased 4 scrawny heads of cabbage. I was happy to find any kind of food, especially fresh vegetables.

I had never been in this type of a situation in my life. I can't begin to explain what it does to you or how you feel. I remember talking to Tom Crago during the crisis and telling him, "If I have to live like this, then I think I want to be home with my family." It took me at least two months to get over the effects of the Jos riots. Somewhere around the 7th of October 2001, Janet and I planned to go to EYN Headquarters, several hundred kilometers away. I was at the EYN guesthouse the day before we were to leave; there I met Rev.

We had a joyous birthday party for Johnathon Crumley on Aug. 2, 2002, on a serene Boulder Hill.

Karagama from Mubi. He told me that I shouldn't make the trip and that was all it took to keep me in Jos. I can't say that Janet or I ever felt terribly threatened, but there was a definite uneasiness. I can't explain it, but it seems that during that two months life slowed down and time passed slowly. I was sort of in a state of suspension. I didn't feel especially productive. I was just there. Maybe I was in a survival mode. The Jos Riots certainly had an effect on me.

It has been more than a year since 9-7, and what a difference a year makes. I thought I would never be the same again, but I am. For instance, on the 2nd of August, 2002, we attended a joyous first birthday party for Johnathon Crumley, son of Patty Crumley, music teacher, and John Crumley, mission worker, on a serene Boulder Hill. Today Janet and I are at perfect peace about serving in Nigeria. The blessings here continue to be many.

John and Janet Tubbs