1. Over 100 killed as attacks on Nigerian villages continue
Over 100 people have been killed in central Nigeria in recent weeks as militants terrorize farmers and victims despair of getting help from their government. On Thursday, 250 villagers led by Christian church leaders marched through the city of Jos demanding action from the authorities. “It is disheartening to see innocent citizens being killed and their properties destroyed in such a gruesome manner,” Daniel Okoh, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said in a statement. Several residents told RT that the government’s failure to publicly hold the militants accountable for their crimes was emboldening the attackers, explaining that it was important to send the message that no one was above the law. “Once justice is dispensed, these attacks will stop,” a resident of Jos predicted.
Over 100 killed as attacks on Nigerian villages continue — RT Africa
Nigerian media reported as follows:
Villagers in Kubwat and Fungzai, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau state, were turned into killing fields, with terrorists indiscriminately killing anybody they saw, with at least 100 people killed. Many people fled to nearby Mangu town to seek refuge when the attacks started. Mr. Solomon Maren, of the state House of Representatives, said the attacks were among many in his constituency, where more than 200 people have been slaughtered in the last four months. These deaths add to the total number of deaths related to domestic terrorism since 2015. Nigeria’s Security Tracker, NST, attributes the deaths to terrorism, banditry, herder/farmer clashes, communal crises, cult clashes, and extra-judicial killing. In a report issued by NST, they state ‘Different groups in Nigeria resort to violence. The militant Islamist movement Boko Haram is active in northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones. A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately. Police are notorious for extra-judicial murder.” According to the NST, a total of at least 63 111 people have lost their lives since 2015. These are broken down by year as follows:
2015: 5556
• 2016: 5763
• 2017: 4618
• 2018: 6565
• 2019: 8340
• 2020: 9694
• 2021: 10575
• 2022: 9079
• 2023(to date): 2921
Just in 2023, the following incidents have been reported:
May 1: Bandits killed two and abducted four in Zaria, Kaduna.
May 1: Kidnappers abducted three and killed one in Akwanga, Nassarawa.
May 2: Kidnappers abducted twelve in Owan East, Edo.
May 2: Gunmen killed one police officer in Aba, Abia.
May 2: Herders killed three in Boripe, Osun.
May 3: Gunmen killed a youth leader in Ahoada East, Rivers.
May 4: Gunmen killed three police officers in Orumba South, Anambra.
May 4: Soldiers killed 23 bandits while one soldier was killed during a clash in Shiroro, Niger State.
May 6: Troops killed two Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) commanders and “several” other ISWA militants (est. at twelve total) in Konduga, Borno.
May 7: Gunmen killed one police officer and kidnapped the Taraba local government chairman in Takum, Taraba.
May 7: Bandits abducted forty from a church in Chikun, Kaduna.
May 7: Bandits abducted thirteen and killed one in Kagarko, Kaduna.
May 7: Security operatives killed four kidnappers in Idemili North, Anambra.
May 7: Communal violence led to one death in Mokwa, Niger.
May 8: Herders killed three in Guma, Benue.
May 8: Cult clashes resulted in 16 deaths in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
May 9: A cult clash resulted in three deaths in Owo, Ondo.
May 9: Herders killed six in Guma, Benue.
May 10: Security forces killed seven gunmen in Nnewi South, Anambra.
May 10: Gunmen killed two in Mangu, Plateau.
May 10: ISWA killed three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Damboa, Borno.
May 11: Troops killed 11 ISWAP militants in Abadam, Borno.
May 11: Kidnappers abducted an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ehime-Mbano, Imo.
May 12: Bandits abducted fifty in Rijau, Niger State.
May 12: Communal violence led to 13 deaths in Karim-Lamido, Taraba.
May 12: A pastor, Daniel Danbeki and 37 others were killed by suspected herdsmen in attacks on Takalafia and Kwaja in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State May 12: Communal crisis between Amazaba community of East Obolo and ikot Akpab Udo village in Ikot Abasi LGA of Akwa Ibom State claimed four lives.
May 14: A man shot his elder brother and cut off his head and private parts at Ekori in Yakkur LGA of Cross River State.
May 15: Gunmen killed 29 person’s at Kubwat and Fungzai villages in Mangu LGA of Plateau State.
May 15: Three soldiers were killed and 10 were injured while repelling an ambush on their convoy by Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists in Abadam, Borno State.
May 15: A man killed his stepmother with a pestle in Ihima Obeobe Ebozohu community, Okehi LGA of Kogi State May 16: Gunmen killed four US Embassy officials in Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State.
May 16: 10 persons including a couple and their only child were killed in attacks on Akpanta, Ochumeko and Ijaha communities in Apa LGA of Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
May 16: An EFCC official was killed by two of his colleagues in Sokoto following a disagreement on custody of items belonging to a suspect. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/05/insecurity-63111-persons-killed-in-buharis-eight-years/
2. 1,872 killed, 714 abducted in four months – Report
A report released by Stefanos Foundation, a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights and peacebuilding, has revealed that there were 217 attacks from 34 states in Nigeria between January and April 2023 alone. The Jos-based human rights organisation said the attacks resulted in the killing of 1,872 persons, 714 abductions, and 65 injuries. The report highlighted the urgent need for action to address the underlying causes of the violence. Consequently, the Mwaghavul Development Association in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State has called for immediate action to address the ongoing violence in their communities, which they believe may be linked to deep economic interests.
SF and MDA spoke during a joint press conference in Abuja on Thursday, where they underscored the impact of the violence and highlighted the need for the government to address the root causes of the violence. The Advocacy Manager at Stefanos Foundation, Ms. Fatima Njoku, said the alarming increase in violence across the nation is a cause for concern, especially as Nigeria is not at war. She said, “From eyewitness reports and testimonies of direct victims across the board, we can say that the attacks are carried out in literally the same style, with attackers dressed in similar fashion and victims with similar profiles. This has happened in Agatu, Guma, Logo in Benue State, Kagoro, Zangon Kataf, Kajuru, Kafanchan in southern Kaduna, Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, and now Mangu in Plateau State, and the list goes on. Stefanos Foundation has recorded 217 instances of attacks from 34 states across the Federation between January and April 2023 alone. From these attacks, we recorded 1,872 deaths, 714 abductions, and 65 injuries. We find this very alarming for a country that is not at war. This new administration has come in at a time when the security of lives and property, which is the primary purpose of government, is at its worst in Nigeria’s history. We bring to the attention of the government that this is an area that calls for urgent action.”
Meanwhile, MDA’s National President, Chief Joseph Gwamkat, said the return to their ancestral homes was non-negotiable. According to him, if nothing was done to address the situation, there will be “hunger and poverty” in the land, especially given the current economic climate. He said, “40 per cent of farm produce from Plateau State comes from Mangu LGA, and the ongoing violence was a threat to their livelihoods.” Gwamkat said the MDA strongly recommended the “establishment of state policing” in all states and communities in Nigeria, as well as the “creation of special courts” to dispense justice between conflicting communities.
He added, “The presence of the National Emergency Management Agency or the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency has never been felt, even as we speak now.” 1,872 killed, 714 abducted in four months – Report (punchng.com)
3. New Governor of Benue State sworn in
Hyacinth Alia, a former priest of the diocese of Gboko, has been sworn in as the governor of Benue state in a ceremony held on 29 May 2023. He was suspended from his priestly duties in 2022 by bishop William Amove Amenva when he made clear his intentions of running for public office. His party won the election with 473933 votes, under the All-Progressive Congress banner in an election held in March 2023. His suspension from active ministry came after “a series of admonitions. The Mother Church does not allow her clerics to engage in partisan politics on their own ex Cannon law 285,3 CIC. You are aware that my son. Your brother and your priest have purchased the party forms to contest for the Office of the Governor of Benue state under the AllProgressive Congress (APC), which is totally against our vocation”, said Bishop Amenva in a letter to priests, religious and laity in 2022. https://cisanewsafrica.com/nigeria-suspended-priest-sworn-in-governor-ofbenue-state/
4. InterSociety cites Nigerian Police as the main perpetrator of atrocities
A Nigerian human rights organization has released a report on the violence plaguing that country, including the extra-judicial executions, maimings, forced disappearances and illegal detentions in Imo state. Emeka Umeagbalasi, chairman of Intersociety, said that in a space of 29 months, “security forces and allied militias killed 900 unarmed citizens, wounded 700, arrested 3500, extorted 1400, disappeared 300.” This is in addition to the report, of 1200 civilian houses being burned down, displacing tens of thousands and forcing them to flee their homes and villages. The report lays the blame for the majority of the violence at the foot of Fulani herdsmen, and other militias, saying most of the victims were possibly targeted because of their Christian faith. Umeagbalasi says people are killed on the basis of their ethnicity and religion, and he took aim at the Nigerian police and blamed them for not paying special attention to these crimes. “We are not against the police and security agencies performing their jobs, but they have to do that within the confines of the law. You don’t leave the fighting parties and turn a blind eye.” The report listed the number of places of worship that were attacked and destroyed as 500, with 200 synagogues and 300 temples of traditional worship. This was done on suspicion, apparently, of these places being places of gathering for separatist movements. “There is no evidence of this claim. (In as much as) you cannot kill every Muslim in the north and tag them Boko Haram. You cannot go to a mosque and burn down the mosque and say it’s a training ground for Boko Haram”. “All persons of goodwill can attest that the federal government has done very poorly in responding to this security challenge. After eight years there has been zero arrests and prosecution of perpetrators of these heinous crimes, which gives reason to the suggestion that the government of the day may be complicit in what is happening,” says Fr Remigius Ihvula, of Markurdi diocese. https://www.ucanews.com/news/900-civilians-died-in-nigerias-imo-state-most-of-them-christians/101420
5. Baptist Conference expresses shock at the government’s failure to protect its citizens
The leadership of the Baptist church in Plateau state has expressed their shock over the lack of security personnel in local communities which are constantly under attack. The Baptist Conference states that the poor security situation has encouraged the attackers to return to steal valuables that belong to survivors who fled. The national president of the Nigeria Baptist Convention, Rev Dr. Israel Akanji, recently visited Jos to offer prayers and financial assistance to victims of the attacks. Rev Koeleh Saleh, who delivered relief aid to survivors of a church attack in Kantoma, lamented the loss of lives of 31 members, leaving 23 women widowed. “Most of our members are displaced in over 10 local churches, and people are taking refuge in different places. We have located four centres in the Jos metropolis, a family is hosting between 10 to 20 people, and we have over 200 displaced persons in Jos. We have 50 in Barkin ladi, over 200 in Salama Baptist Church in Mangu and 78 others that included 44 little children at Bwarak Pankshin. They are not in any school, but we use our local churches to accommodate them. Within one week, we have spent about N2 million to get relief materials, but this is not enough. Our Baptist partners assisted us with N1 million to make it N3 million, but it is still not enough. We provided foodstuffs, clothing, shoes, mats, blankets etc.” Saleh also stated that villagers now have to gather en masse to be escorted to the village by security personnel to retrieve their belongings, adding that in a show of destruction, attackers removed doors and zinc roofs that weren’t burnt. https://punchng.com/plateau-attack-over-500-displaced-community-saysattackers-loot-homes/
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