Amnesty International (AI) on
Tuesday raised the alarm that insecurity was escalating in northwest Nigeria’s
Zamfara state, with daily killings and kidnappings by armed bandits, leaving
villagers in constant fear of attack.
Revealing the atrocities by the
attackers, AI said thousands of people have been displaced by a conflict which
began in 2012 as a result of clashes between farmers and herders.
“This is Nigeria’s forgotten
conflict. The authorities’ failure to act has left villagers in Zamfara at the
mercy of armed bandits, who have killed hundreds of people over the course of
two bloody years,” said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
“When we visited the region,
villagers told us that they had pleaded with the government to help them after
receiving warning letters from the bandits ahead of attacks but had received no
protection. The Nigerian authorities have repeatedly claimed to be tackling the
situation, but the mounting death toll tells a different story.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had on
Sunday deployed troops to Zamfara state to tackle insecurity bedevilling the
rural communities.
Giving details, Amnesty
International recalled that on Friday 27 July, 18 villages in the Mashema,
Kwashabawa and Birane districts of Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state
were attacked, leaving at least 42 people dead.
“At least 18,000 residents of the
affected villages who were displaced over the weekend are now taking refuge at
various locations in the local government headquarters. The following day a
further 15 people were kidnapped in Maradun local government area.
“On Saturday 28 July, President
Muhammadu Buhari announced the deployment of 1,000 troops to Zamfara. This is
the third time since November 2017 that the authorities have deployed the
military in response to attacks, but villagers told Amnesty International that
this has not translated into protection for remote, vulnerable communities.
“Previous military interventions
have failed to end the killings, especially in rural areas of Zamfara. At least
371 people have been killed in Zamfara in 2018 alone, and at least 238 of these
killings took place after the deployment of the Nigerian air force. The
government is still neglecting the most vulnerable communities in this region,”
said Osai Ojigho.
Ojigho added that between Sunday
7 and Thursday 12 July, Amnesty International visited communities in five local
government areas of Zamfara state – Zurmi, Maradun, Maru, Anka and Tsafe.
“Although security forces were
present in the state capital Gusau, researchers saw soldiers and air force
personnel in only two of the villages they visited, Birane and Bagega.
“Villagers described feeling
helpless and on edge, constantly bracing themselves for attacks. Men said they
are sleeping outside their homes and in trees as a way of keeping vigilant,
while women and children are sleeping together in groups for protection.
“Villagers described a pattern
where they receive warnings ahead of attacks, including by phone, ordering them
to pay huge sums of money or be killed or abducted.”
A villager from Gidan Goga was
quoted as saying: “Before Ramadan, the bandits called with the same number they
called me with two weeks ago and said if we didn’t pay them N500,000 (USD
$1400), they would come and kidnap me or the village head. Right now, we are
living in fear.”
Another village elder from Gidan
Goga also told Amnesty International: “We cannot go to farm far from our
village. Two weeks ago, I got a call from one of the bandits, saying they are
the ‘owners’ of the forest. He asked me to tell the village head to tell all
villagers close to the forest to vacate the villages and come here, Gidan Goga.
He said the only way they’d allow the villagers to continue staying was if they
paid them five million Naira.”
In a village in Maru, villagers
said the only time they see security forces is when they are escorting workers
to the state governor’s farm.
Ojigho further disclosed that
senior police officer in Zamfara told Amnesty International that security
agencies lack logistics and manpower to deal with the crisis.
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