CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
Genocide is a heinous crime. It is a crime that is aimed at destroying a different group of individuals, and in international law, it is identified as an ‘international crime’, which is closely connected with the crime against humankind, and it is carried out against a large number of individuals, (Godwin, 2018). For instance, mass killings by Fulani herdsmen may constitute genocide and/or crimes against humanity, depending on the intention. However, for the purpose of this study, the researcher will consider looking at Fulani herdsmen killings in the Northern Nigeria as genocide.
At the moment, Nigeria is experiencing persistent mass killings by Fulani herdsmen and this has continued to raise the insecurity status of the country very high. Today’s discussion in relation to Nigeria is almost inexorably replete with issues surrounding insecurity, militancy, insurgency, and terrorism, as a result of the linkages with economic, social, political and governance activities, with spiraling effects on regional and international relations, (Adewumi, 2014). Ever since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, there has been an increase in the number of violent activities across the country with Herdsmen-Farmers insurgency, ethnic clashes, and banditry, etc. The herdsmen-farmers clash has turned out to be a great threat to internal security as their activities have now gone beyond the Northern part of Nigeria to the Southern and Western parts of Nigeria, (Nwagboso, 2018). With the escalating and persistent violent attacks on security forces, civilians, churches and mosques, farms, schools, as well as communities, it has further compounded a number of challenges already faced in Nigeria especially in the Northern part, (Gadzama, 2018).
The emergence of the Fulani Herdsmen, whose aims has been to introduce their ideology on people through grazing, maiming, slaughtering, and abduction of human beings, thereby creating fear and sense of insecurity in the society (Ezea, 2016), in order to achieve their aims has been rampant especially in the Northern part of Nigeria, and which is now spreading to the Southern and Western parts of Nigeria. According to Mohammed (2019), Fulani Herdsmen has destroyed the economic activities of places they have spread their tentacles to as well as led to movement of people from the affected place due to restlessness, which has created fear and sense of insecurity in the Nigerian communities. In particular, between May 2015 and January 2020 several villages and communities were attacked by Fulani herdsmen and a lot of individuals as well as women and children were killed in great numbers, (Adesoji, 2017). To accentuate, majority of the victims are Christians and non-Fulani indigene. In other words, the herdsmen attacks are targeted at non-Fulani residents, (Bello, 2016). The Fulani herdsmen belong to a different ethnic group in Nigeria called Fulani. They are an itinerant group of cattle herders, that is, they move about from one place to the other to graze their cattle, (Anter, 2017). Though in the past, this cultural and long-standing practice of cattle grazing did not generate any major issue, however, in recent times owing to a collection of factors which includes population expansion, poverty, and climate change, the grazing activities of the herdsmen have turned out to be a source of conflict between them and farmers (Amnesty International 2018), who are majorly the victims of Fulani herdsmen attacks.
The alleged farmers-herdsmen conflict is over land use and pastures. In particular, the farmers claimed that their farm crops are damaged and eaten up by the herders cattle, thereby causing them great financial loss and starvation, (Dasam & lbe, 2018). For this reason, the farmers detest cattle grazing on their farmland and maintain that cattle rearers should confine their animals on cattle ranches as is the case in many parts of the world where open grazing no longer take place, (Enor, Magor & Expo 2019). In contrary, the Fulani herdsmen argued that, they are free to follow grazing routes and insist on respect for what they consider to be their ‘grazing right’ (Amnesty International 2018). In order to put into effect this nebulous right, the herders resorted to the use of sophisticated arms like the AK-47 assault rifle (Amnesty International 2018). Indisputably, it is the case that the Fulani herdsmen are the aggressors due to their quest to graze their cattle, (Adinoyi, 2018)
Inquisitively, inspite of the persistent lethal attacks by Fulani herdsmen on various communities across Nigeria and ‘peace and security’ being one of the Five-Point Transformation Agenda of President Buhari’s regime (Gadzama, 2018), the Federal Government of Nigeria which solely controls the security apparatus of the nation and has a legal duty to protect the citizens of Nigeria, hasn’t taken significant actions to checkmate the bloodbath (Ozekhome 2018). As a result, there is high rate of insecurity in many parts of the country (Nwagboso 2018). According to an article published by The Guardian on January 30, 2016, pertinently captures and summarizes the situation thus; persistent conflicts between herdsmen and their host communities have over the years led to the loss of a lot of lives and property across the country. An example of such clashes was the raiding of four villages, which are; Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo in Adamawa State by Fulani herdsmen. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Vunokilang Police Station in Girei Local Council of Adamawa State was killed in the clash, alongside 30 other people, (Adeale, 2020). A lot of houses and other properties in the communities were as well burnt in the attack. Prior to the occurrence, clashes between the herdsmen and farmers have remained a chronic decimal in Nigeria, (Silas, 2018). Prior to now, such clashes mostly break out in the North-Central and North-East parts of Nigeria; however, in present times it has spread to the South-East, South-South and South-West regions of the country, (Ahmed-Gamgum, 2018).
Recently, the Fulani herdsmen vicious activities have been on the increase and have largely undermined human security. According to Gilbert (2015), ever since the insurgency started, there has been over 12,000 deaths and 8000 persons maimed. The Fulani herdsmen have terrorized, kidnapped, slaughtered, killed, raped, burnt farming communities, property and taken-over lands belonging to the farming communities for their grazing activities, (Adegoroyo, Iorhemen, & Nyam, 2018). Their activities have as well led in the loss of income by the States, threatened national unity, diversion of budgetary allocations for the maintenance of internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps, loss of human capital and damage to the country’s international image, (Enor, Magor & Expo 2019).
One of the gravest effects of the Fulani herdsmen insurgency is the large number of persons that have been displaced, as a result of their attacks on communities. The International Organisation for Migration set up a Displacement Tracking Matrix in July 2014 to support the government in collecting and disseminating data on IDPs, (IOM, 2015). As of December 2015 the total number of internally displaced persons in Nigeria was 2,151,979 individuals, identified in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara and Abuja, (IOM & NEMA, 2015). The data as well showed that, 40percent of these had been displaced by the Fulani herdsmen insurgency, 53percent displaced by Boko Haram insurgency, and others were the victims of communal clashes in the northern region. The majority of the internally displaced persons were identified in Borno (64percent), Adamawa (6.32percent) and Yobe (6.1percent). It was established that, 92percent of them live in host communities, while 8percent live in the camps, (IOM & NEMA, 2015). Children constitute 55.7percent of the internally displaced persons population and more than half of them are 5 years old or younger.
Security is essential in the development of states’ affairs, (Marc, Mogaka, & Verjee, 2015), and on the global scene, policymakers are putting diverse mechanisms in place to address the issues of insurgency and insecurity in order to create an enabling society for all, (Adegoroyo, Iorhemen, & Nyam, 2018). It can be observed that, the Northern part of Nigeria hasn’t known peace for more than a decade now, due to the ongoing restlessness and insecurity in the region, and as a result, they haven’t been able to actualize their full potential, (Ezea, 2019). Likewise in the Southern, Eastern and Western parts of Nigeria, these scenarios have played out in recent times with the uprising and intensification of the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the regions (Adesoji, 2019).
Undoubtedly, the persistent clash between Fulani herdsmen, farmers, and their host communities in the country seems to be a major security challenge faced by President Buhari’s government. Therefore, it is important that a study of this nature is carried out in order to examine genocide and insurgency in Northern Nigeria, using Fulani herdsmen killings as genocide.
1.2. Statement of Problems
The herders and farmers conflict in Nigeria has turn out to be persistent. The cause can be attributed to control over land for grazing and farming (Adesoji, 2019), massive desertification of vegetative lands and droughts in Northern Nigeria which force herders to travel towards the middle belt region and some parts of the south in search of greener pasture and water for their livestock, (Amzat, Fagbemi, Lawal, Wantu, & Akingboye, 2016). During their movement, the itinerant herdsmen settle in farming communities where there are green plants and water; and most times, the farmers accused the herdsmen of invading and razing their farmlands and crops and polluting their main source of water supply, (Ezea, 2019). On the other hand, the herdsmen accused the farmers of poisoning, killing or even stealing their livestock most particularly cattles, (Mamkaa, 2018).
The insurgence of Fulani herdsmen deadly attacks have led to the death of thousands of innocent Nigerians lives, majority of who are farmers and Christians have been killed, (Ezea, 2019). Consequently, the dangerous trend that insecurity has assumed in the country with bombing, killing, slaughtering, maiming and kidnapping of innocent people is frightening, (Oli, Ibekwe & Nwakwo, 2018), which has escalated the call for splitting of the country. Quite a lot of violent attacks by the Fulani herdsmen have affected the economic activities in the Northern parts of Nigeria especially which includes Maiduguri, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa.
The following problems are identified in the course of the study;
- What are the causes of Fulani herdsmen conflict or attacks in Nigeria?
- Are there any measures put in place by the Federal Government to combat the menace of insurgency in Nigeria?
- What are the trends of Fulani herdsmen attack/insurgency in Nigeria?
- What are the measures in place in resolving Fulani herdsmen clash with farmers in Nigeria?
- How effective are the measures adopted by the Federal Government in resolving Fulani herdsmen clash with farmers in Nigeria?
The nature of insecurity in the Northern part of Nigeria has forced parents to keep their children away from school, and farmers to stay away from their farmlands. Undoubtedly, attacks by herdsmen have turned out to be the most potent threat to national security in the last couple of years. What makes the attacks by herdsmen very disturbing are the frequency, the level of destruction and sheer brutality, which is characterized by high casualty rate and massive displacement of communities, (Gadzama 2018).
Therefore, it is against this backdrop that this study examines genocide and insurgency in Northern Nigeria, with a view to proffering viable counter measures to ending the Fulani herdsmen crime of genocide, especially in the Northern Nigeria.
1.3. Research Objectives
The main objective of the study is to examine genocide and insurgency in Northern Nigeria between 2009 and 2020. However, the specific objectives are to;
- assess the level of Fulani herdsmen attack of genocide on farmers in Nigeria
- determine the trends of Fulani herdsmen attack of genocide in Nigeria
- find out the social impact of Fulani herdsmen insurgency in Nigeria
1.4. Research Questions
The following research questions will be poised for the study
- What is the level of Fulani herdsmen attack of genocide on farmers in Nigeria?
- To what extent is the trend of Fulani herdsmen attack of genocide in Nigeria?
- What extent is the social impact of Fulani herdsmen insurgency in Nigeria?
1.5. Significance of the Study
This study is unique mainly because it is the first study based on the researcher’s knowledge to be carried out in Nigeria, as it tried to identify and understand genocide and insurgency in Northern Nigeria.
It is hoped that, the findings of this study will help expand the literature on Fulani Herdsmen crime of genocide and its effects on insecurity and welfare of the people in the Northern part of Nigeria and other affected states in the Southern, Eastern and Western Nigeria. The understanding of this will help put the government and other stakeholders in a better position to formulate policies and strategies that will curtail the menace of the insurgency in Nigeria.
Besides, the findings of this study will have the capacity to make available a credible pulpit or opportunity for highlighting and demanding the need for relevant federal, state, and non-governmental entities to identify, document, and provide the necessary compensations for the victims of insurgency (Fulani Herdsmen) attacks for their losses.
In addition, the findings of this study will advocate and bring to light the need to address the perceived causes of genocide (Fulani Herdsmen) clashes in the country.
1.7. Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is the basic qualitative design to extract in-depth and pertinent information. Qualitative research method is consistent with exploring and understanding the characteristics of a group of people or individuals in a given environment in relations to a social or human problem, (Creswell, 2014). This study focused on genocide and insurgency in Northern Nigeria and the implications of Fulani herdsmen insurgency on security in Nigeria.
1.8. Methodology of the Study
The methodology of this study will be qualitative in nature using primary and secondary sources of information. The primary source shall entail interview while the secondary sources shall be through journals, reports, articles, newspapers, treaties, textbooks and various statutes which would be obtained from online sources. The issue under discussion is a global menace which cuts across African countries, although there have been few or little literatures on the subject matter, this shall be referred to in discussing the topic at hand. The time frame for the study is for a period of 10years, that is, from 2009 to 2020.
Purposive sampling will be used to select respondents from population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. This sampling method will be used because it will help the researcher to focus on study participants who have been exposed to Fulani herdsmen crime of genocide and have experienced sufferings and losses as a result to their exposure to the violence perpetuated by the group. Face-to-face interviews will be carried out at the convenience of study participants. A content analysis approach to data analysis will be used to extract, organize and analyze the data to obtain emergent themes and their interwoven relationships.
1.9. Definition of Operational Terms
Genocide: is said to be the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people defined by their nationality, or by their ethnic, cultural, or religious background
Insurgency: An armed movement or struggle that is intended to overthrow an existing government using a variety of violent and nonviolent tactics that include drawing support and sympathy from an acquiescent population in a weak state fractured along ethnic and sectarian cleavages
Insurgents: Individuals who willingly enlist as members of Fulani herdsmen and consciously carry out violent attacks against members of the society most especially farmers with the intent of grazing, kidnapping, maiming, or killing people and destroying properties and infrastructures.
Terrorism: The use of violence and intimidation intentionally and indiscriminately by a group or an individual to cause and create fear, death, or destruction of others.
Herders: are nomadic pastoralists who are mainly Fulanis, one of the ethnic groups in Northern Nigeria. Their main pre-occupation is rearing of livestock such as cattle, sheep and donkey.
Farmers: are found in every part of the country and belongs to virtually all ethnic groups in Nigeria. They cultivate all kinds of crops for either cash or consumption.
