Conflict Bulletin: Edo State
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The Fund for Peace Conflict Bulletin: Edo State July 2014 of six governors affiliated with the Action Congress of Nigeria Party (ACN). LGA Level Summary Edo was one of the Niger Delta’s more January 2012 - June 2014 violent states on a per-capita basis from 2012 to mid 2014, with about 113 incidents Oredo claiming the lives of over 250 people. Reported incidents of violence and Home to the state’s capital, Benin City, associated fatalities have increased since Oredo LGA experienced collective violence 2012. Issues in Edo ranged from protests, between gangs, cult groups, religious criminality, abductions and domestic groups, political groups and communities violence to clashes between gangs, cults, during this period. In January 2012, a cult political groups and communities. Over half clash between Eiye and Black Axe of these incidents were reported in the confraternities reportedly killed eight over Oredo Local Government Area (LGA), home the course of a week, while two similar andlocked between Ondo, Kogi and to Benin City, although violence was also clashes in June and July 2012 led to the Delta States, Edo is home to about reported further north, notably in the Esan deaths of three and four respectively. The 3.2 million people (2006 census), West, Uhunmwonde, and Etsako Central, same Eiye Confraternity also lost some of its predominantly of Edo, Bini, Owan, East and West LGAs. members through an intra-cult clash in Esan, and Afemai background. Edo’s November 2013. Violence between the Eiye economy centers around agriculture, This Conflict Bulletin provides a brief and Aye (Black Axe) confraternities including food crops such as yams, cassava, snapshot of the trends and patterns of continued in 2014, killing four in January. In rice or maize and cash crops such as conflict risk factors at the State and LGA March, a 14-year-old reportedly died in a rubber, palm oil, cotton, cocoa and timber. levels, drawing on the data available on the cult clash. Edo’s capital, Benin City, is the center of P4P Digital Platform for Multi-Stakeholder Nigeria’s rubber industry. Edo also contains Engagement (www.p4p-nigerdelta.org). The Ethnic/religious groups also clashed in 2012- significant deposits of granite, limestone, screenshot of the heat map above shows 2014, notably in early 2012 when two marble, lignite, crude oil, gold, and kaolin the relative distribution of incidents by LGA mosques and an Islamic school were clay. from 2012 to mid-2014. The trend-line on attacked, killing five and forcing many to the next page shows the number of flee. In May 2012, the principal private Edo’s State governor, Adams Aliyu incidents and fatalities over time. The bar secretary to Edo State’s governor was Oshiomhole, took office in November 2008 chart shows the trend of incidents of murdered at his residence. In April 2013, after winning an appeal in the 2007 insecurity by LGA per capita. The summaries factions of the PDP and the ACN clashed elections, which had initially declared his draw on data collected by FFP’s UNLocK, the during the local government elections. In rival, Oserheimen Osunbor, as governor. In Council on Foreign Relations’ NST, WANEP July 2013, the Deputy National Chairman of July 2012, Oshiomhole was reelected for a Nigeria, CSS/ETH Zurich, Nigeria Watch, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was second term in a landslide victory. He is one ACLED integrated on the P4P platform. attacked at his home. There were several The graphic above is a Heat Map (screenshot) of Conflict Risk in Edo State 2012-2014 — www.p4p-nigerdelta.org. Conflict Bulletin: Edo State Conflict Risk Factors in Edo State* Reported Insecurity Per Capita in Edo State (by LGA) 80 70 Incidents Jan -Jun 2012 60 Fatalities Jul-Dec 2012 Jan -Jun 2013 50 Jul -Dec 2013 40 Jan -Jun 2014 30 20 10 0 Better Worse Jan -Jun Jul - Dec Jan -Jun Jul -Dec Jan -Jun Jul -Dec Jan -Jun Jul -Dec Jan -Jun 2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 * Using Nigeria Watch data (www.nigeriawatch.org) formatted to the P4P Web Map platform cases of abductions reported in Oredo, raided several newspapers in Benin City in Congress chief in Edo was allegedly including that of an Israeli expatriate in July June 2014. kidnapped in August 2013, but eventually 2013 and of three female teachers in August released in September 2013 and his of the same year. A pastor was also killed in Uhunmwonde kidnappers arrested. In 2014, reported November 2013. issues included a cult clash in March, which In February 2012, two people were killed several students, and a communal In March 2014, three men were killed by reportedly killed in an intra-communal land clash over land in April. officers of a special unit to combat dispute which also caused villagers to flee to kidnapping while attempting to abduct a neighboring communities. Two abduction Esan NE/SE/C/W pregnant woman. Finally, as the political cases were also reported in August and capital of the state, there were multiple December 2013, with two policemen killed Esan LGAs were relatively violent from 2012 protests in Oredo in 2012-2014. In January in the first incident and an individual who to mid 2014. Cult clashes in August 2012 2012, there was a protest against a fuel was being abducted killed in the second killed several. Also in cult-related violence, a subsidy removal. In August 2012, there was incident. leader of the Buckaneers was reportedly a protest for the release of a human rights killed in March 2014. Conflict risk factors activist. In March 2013, there was a protest Etsako C/E/W during the 2013 local elections included the against levies and extortion from the Road murder of an active ACN member in April Transport Employees Association of Nigeria. A series of bank robberies by a large gang of 2013 and subsequent protests by voters In June 2013, there was a protest after the armed gunmen reportedly led to the deaths when the release of election results was alleged killing of a student by police. In early of over a dozen people in Etsako West in delayed in May of that year. In July 2013, to mid-2014, there were protests over labor November 2012. In 2013, there were there was a clash between two groups in a issues, against the Chibok abductions of political protest and clashes. Around the dispute over the collection of market nearly 300 schoolgirls in the North, over the time of the local government elections, a revenue that reportedly led to the deaths of absence of access to post-natal care for clash between supporters of opposing two people. A number of other murders women in Benin, and over governance political parties led to two fatalities. Also in were reported during this period, including issues within the Niger Delta Development mid-2013, PDP supporters reportedly that of an aide to a local government Commission. There were also a number of protested the results of the election, calling chairman and a member of the Youth murders reported. Separately, the military for another vote. The All Progressive Corps. FFP is committed to promoting sustain- One of the data sources The data used in this analysis was pulled able human security around the world, utilized in the summary was from the integrated digital platform for and is the International Coordinating Partner on P4P, an initia- derived from the UNLocK network in Nigeria, a partnership multistakeholder engagement developed tive supported by PIND. FFP has been working with local civil between The Fund for Peace and the Institute of Human Rights by Partners for Peace (P4P), an initiative society in Nigeria to develop the UNLocK network since 2010. and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL). supported by PIND. For a deeper understanding of the conflict risk factors, visit www.p4p-nigerdelta.org. www. fund for peace .org 2 The Fund for Peace .