Government’s failure blamed for fuelling violence

LAGOS: More than 3,600 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016, Amnesty International said yesterday, blaming the government's failure to punish the perpetrators for fuelling the violence. The international human rights organization said more than 2,000 were killed in 2018 alone, while the bloodshed had made thousands of other people homeless.

Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth. "The Nigerian authorities' failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more," Amnesty said in a statement.

It said that of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018 and were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau. The rights group also accused Nigerian security forces of not doing enough to stop the killings. "Security forces are often positioned close to the attacks, which can sometimes last for days, and yet have been slow to act," it said. In some cases, forces were warned of an imminent raid but did nothing to prevent the killings, looting or burning of homes.

"The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population," said Osai Ojigho, Nigeria's director of Amnesty International. "Our research shows that these attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles," Ojigho said. "In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines," she said. "The conflict has been dangerously politicized by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines."

The Nigerian army on Monday rejected the Amnesty report, accusing the global watchdog of "unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military". Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that Nigerians should ignore the report which he said was intended to "destabilise and dismember" the country. "The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues," he warned. The farmer-herder violence is putting further pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari, who is battling a nine-year insurgency by the Boko Haram jihadist group in the northeast.

The 76-year-old retired general has come under fire for his inability to end the country's security challenges as he seeks a second term in February elections. Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent months, accusing them of passing information about the group to the military. In the latest attack, four farmers were shot dead as they slept in rice fields in a village outside the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, survivors and local militia said yesterday. Last month, the insurgents killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in Mammanti village, near Maiduguri.

Hundreds flee
In another development, hundreds fled late Sunday after Boko Haram burned their homes near Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, residents said. Boko Haram fighters in several trucks stormed Maiborti village, five kilometers outside Maiduguri, firing indiscriminately and setting fire to homes, they said. A military officer who did not want to be identified said troops and fighter jets were deployed to the village and scrambled to push out the militants after "fierce battle".

It was not clear if there were casualties in the attack which once again highlighted the fragile security situation in the restive region. "They (Boko Haram) came around 5:30 pm and started firing in the village which made us abandon our homes and flee to Maiduguri," Maiborti resident Abacha Kaka said. Militia leader Babakura Kolo said the jihadists were later forced out of the village by troops with aerial support. "Unfortunately, the terrorists succeeded in setting fire to the village and burning it down completely," he added.

Boko Haram has in recent months launched attacks in a bid to capture Maiduguri, the birthplace of its founder Mohammed Yusuf. Last month, the jihadists attacked Jimmi village just outside the city, killing one person and stealing hundreds of livestock. In April, scores of Boko Haram fighters launched a gun and suicide attack on Jiddari-Polo, outside the city. The Islamist group has attacked at least 20 military bases in recent weeks, killing dozens of soldiers and carting away weapons. Boko Haram's nine-year rebellion has killed at least 27,000 and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.- Agencies