Conflict Bulletin: Rivers State

The Fund for Peace Conflict Bulletin: Rivers State

Patterns and Trends, 2012-2014

from Rivers South-East, Nyesom Wike The summaries draw on 2012-2014 data (Rivers East) won the PDP primaries, collected by FFP’s UNLocK, the Council on upsetting the rotation and raising ethnic Foreign Relations’ NST, WANEP Nigeria, CSS/ sentiments across the state, including the ETH Zurich, Nigeria Watch, and ACLED Ogoni axis. In a surprise move, the integrated on the P4P platform. They also powerful former militant group, Movement draw on data and information from for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta “Violence in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” (MEND) apparently made a statement by Patricia Taft and Nate Haken (Springer endorsing the APC candidate in the Press, April 2015). presidential election after claiming dissatisfaction with the current president and the PDP. In the run-up to the 2015 LGA Level Summary elections, cult groups and ex-militants lined up behind the two major parties and Port Harcourt exerted influence through intimidation and mong the largest of the oil-producing violence. Ultimately, Wike (PDP) won the (Rivers East Senatorial District) Nigerian states, Rivers had been at election to succeed Amaechi (APC) as the heart of the Niger Delta militancy governor. Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, until 2009. Now the state remains has the highest population of all the state’s beset with a different array of political, This Conflict Bulletin provides a brief LGAs. Given the high density of the urban communal, and criminal issues, including snapshot of the trends and patterns of population, conflict risk issues include cult and gang-related violence, protests, and conflict risk factors at the State and LGA robberies, kidnappings, and gang/cult- kidnappings. Rivers was a pivotal state in levels, drawing on the data available on the related violence. As the political capital of the 2015 general elections and experienced P4P Digital Platform for Multi-Stakeholder the state, protests and demonstrations are elevated levels of election-related tension Engagement (www.p4p-nigerdelta.org). It common. In the first half of 2012, large and violence throughout 2014. represents a compilation of the data from protests broke out over the government’s the sources listed below, not necessarily the removal of a fuel subsidy program. Later in Since May 2013, political tensions were high opinions of FFP or any other organization the year, there were smaller protests in Rivers State after the disputed Nigerian that collaborated on the production of this reported over the delivery of public services. Governor’s Forum election. Formerly a bulletin. The screenshot of the heat map In the first half of 2013, there was increased member of the PDP, Governor Rotimi above shows the relative distribution of political tension between supporters and Amaechi, who is from Ikwerre (Rivers East incidents from one LGA to the next from detractors of Governor Amaechi, including a Senatorial District), switched affiliation to 2012-2014. The trend-line on the following protest where police fired tear gas on a the APC in November 2013. Despite the page shows the number of incidents and reported crowd of 1,000 trying to storm the zoning formula, which would have given the fatalities. The bar chart shows the trend of State House Assembly building. Separately, PDP gubernatorial candidacy to an aspirant incidents of insecurity by LGA per capita. later in the year two soldiers and two civilians were reported killed by fleeing

The graphic above is a Heat Map (screenshot) of Conflict Risk in Rivers State 2012-2014 — www.p4p-nigerdelta.org. Conflict Bulletin: Rivers State

Conflict Risk Factors in Rivers State* Reported Insecurity Per Capita in Rivers State*

140

120 Fatalities Incidents Worse 100 80 60 40 20

Port Harcourt Port Ikwerre Khana Eleme Emohua Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Obio/Akpor Ahoada E/W Asari Etche Andoni Gokana

Toru

Jan-Jun Jul-Dec Jan-Jun Jul-Dec Jan-Jun Jul-Dec Jan-Jun Jul-Dec Jan-Jun Jul-Dec

2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 Better

* Using Nigeria Watch data (www.nigeriawatch.org) formatted to the P4P Web Map platform

(www.p4p-nigerdelta.org) gunmen associated with the Movement for to be affiliated with Boko Haram. In between student protesters of a security the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) September, nine people were reported guards at their university. The clash began while cult violence flared in December, killed in a turf battle among members of the after the demonstrations against an alleged resulting in the deaths of at least two police Islanders, Dewell and Degbam cult groups. assault of a fellow students at the hands of officers and several civilians during a bus At the end of November, nine people, security personnel. robbery. Political tensions continued into including PDP and APC supporters, were 2014 with protests for and against the shot dead by gunmen suspected to be Eleme candidacy of Justice Daisy Okocha as Rivers cultists. Reported among the victims was a State’s administrative Chief Judge. In May chieftain of APC. (Rivers South-East Senatorial District) 2014, a man was reportedly kidnapped and killed by his four abductors after collecting a Khana In March 2012, a solider apparently shot and killed a boy after he reportedly threw a ransom from his family. In August, business (Rivers South-East Senatorial District) and commercial activities were halted bottle in the direction the soldier's car, following clashes between APC and PDP resulting in a protest by community youth In Khana LGA, there continued to be supporters ahead of the planned visit of over the death. In 2013, cult violence was communal tensions, particularly around the Governor Amaechi to Obio/Akpor LGA. In blamed for violence and deaths, most issue of land. There were also cult clashes late November, it was reported that nearly notably in May when two people were and criminality including robbery and a thousand Ogoni youth protested the reported killed in a clash between two rival kidnapping. Land competition reportedly APC’s decision to nominate a candidate for groups. Several robberies during the year turned violent in 2012 when two governor who was not their preferred also resulted in deaths, with a reported communities in Ogoniland disagreed over choice, while earlier in the month, arsons three people being killed after an attempted whether and how a parcel of land should be set fire to the PDP headquarters, although break-in on a residential building. In 2012 developed by the state government as a no one was formally charged in the and 2014, multiple kidnappings were banana plantation. In 2013, police arrests aftermath. reported, including that of a priest and a connected with cult violence predominated businessman. In November, a communal in the beginning of the year while a land clash between Okrika and Onne youths over Ikwerre seizure related to the development of a land reportedly led to two deaths. (Rivers East Senatorial District) plantation sparked tensions in late May. In January 2014, political tensions spiked when Emohua suspected militants opened fire on a pro- As in other LGAs, predominant issues (Rivers East Senatorial District) included gang violence, criminality, police Amaechi rally. Communal tensions between corruption, and land competition. In 2013, rival cult groups also left four dead during a In Emohua, there were numerous cases of there were reports of tension between clash that reportedly lasted a week in May abductions and gang violence. A local pastoralists and farmers and at least one 2014. In August, it was reported that at least monarch was reportedly kidnapped for clash between the two cult gangs, Dewell three people were killed when two rival cult ransom in April 2013 resulted in the deaths and Degbam. In early 2014, police groups clashed. In October, a student of at least two bystanders who were shot by reportedly arrested 320 people suspected protest turned deadly when a clash

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the kidnappers. The clash between Dewell December, at least five people were killed Toru in 2013, beginning in August with the and Degbam cult groups in bordering when members of a cult group purportedly kidnapping of four expatriates. Reportedly Ikwerre also reportedly impacted Emohua. went on a house-to-house rampage, on their way to work on a government- Tension between political groups escalated shooting civilians while looking for owned fish farm, four Thai nationals and in December, 2013, with a clash between unspecified individuals. two Nigerians were forced into a car and PDP and APC supporters. In March and April driven away at gunpoint. While the two 2014, cult violence, including clashes At a pro-Amaechi rally in January 2014, Nigerians were released immediately, a between the Islanders and the Icelanders suspected police officers shot a senator of stand-off between local police and the reportedly killed several people. In Rivers South-East constituency with rubber kidnappers ensued for a week, with the November, in a suspected reprisal attack on bullets during a speech. Police denied their expats eventually released. In September a local community, two people were involvement in the incident. Protests 2013, a clash reportedly broke out at a reportedly killed by a cult group. erupted from the senator’s supporters funeral between two rival groups, known as immediately following the incident. White Chelsea and Kegema Unity Forum, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Temporarily disrupting traffic, community that left three dead although the reason for (Rivers West Senatorial District) youths staged a protest in February 2014, the fight was unclear. White Cheslea, over claims that an oil company had seized identified by local news sources as a cult

a portion of their farmland. Other 2014 group, is suspected to have political In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni the primary issues incidents included the shooting deaths of connections in the LGA. In November 2014, reported during this period include flooding, three school children, four policemen, a at least two were reported killed in a cult- criminality, kidnappings, and gang violence. regional bank manager, and a driver by related clash over supremacy rights. In October 2012, severe floods caused the unknown gunmen and armed robbers. displacement of entire communities leading to inflation, starvation and serious Etche difficulties with resettlement. In May 2013, Ahoada East/West (Rivers East Senatorial District) unknown gunman reportedly tortured and (Rivers West Senatorial District) killed an aid to the former PDP chairman Incidents of insecurity in Etche increased Chief Godspower Ake. In July and October In Ahoada East and West, the main substantially from 2012 to 2014, from one 2014, cult-related violence and attacks pressures on human security stemmed reported incident the first year to eight this purportedly killed at least 30 people. from corruption, criminality, and cult past year. In mid-2012, it was reported that violence. During the first half of 2012, there nine policemen were arrested for the death Obio/Akpor was an attempted jailbreak that reportedly of a community pastor while he was in (Rivers East Senatorial District) led to multiple casualties. Other clashes custody. In 2013, a long-standing conflict between police and criminals occurred in over the allocation of oil profits from both 2012 and 2013 and led to several In Obio/Akpor, reports included criminality, disputed land erupted between two deaths. Additionally, as Nigeria experienced cult violence, domestic violence and child families. In February 2014, it was reported the most damaging rainy season in decades, abuse. Additionally, a political protest that an APC chairman was assassinated flooding in the second half of 2012 occurred when the local government although no further details were given. In exacerbated pressure on the state’s chairman, who is considered to be an May, cultist violence reportedly killed at resources. At least 12 people were reported opponent of Governor Amaechi, was least ten in a local community in the to have lost their lives, and property and suspended by the Rivers State House of crossfire of a rivaling cult war. In August, a crops were destroyed in the flood. Assembly for the mismanagement of public militia attack in four LGAs, including Etche, According to media reports, incidents of funds. In response to ensuing violence from reportedly killed several, including a solider water-borne diseases and food scarcity also protestors demanding his reinstatement, and Air Force officer. In October, a fight increased during this time. In July 2014, it police occupied the Obio/Akpor secretariat. between two armed youth gangs reportedly was reported that three people were shot led to the deaths of at least three. dead by a gunmen, although the cause of Four students from UNIPORT University the attack was not indicated. were lynched by a mob on October 5, 2012. Andoni

The reasons for the lynching are still (Rivers South-East Senatorial District) Asari-Toru unclear, but the victims were accused of having stolen electronics. After a YouTube (Rivers West Senatorial District) Although there were no reported incidents video of the lynching was released, violent of violence in 2012, in June 2013 eight protests broke out. Thirteen people were Although relatively calm in 2012, reports of people were reportedly killed in a cult arrested over the killings. Separately, in kidnappings and abductions spiked in Asari- supremacy clash between the Icelanders

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and the Greenlanders during a funeral. In Gokana disputed territory and reprisal killings. In October of that year, it was reported that (Rivers South-East Senatorial District) June, the bombing of a pipeline reportedly three soldiers involved in a covert JTF led to large fires and the loss of up to 6000 operation were killed in a battle with sea barrels of oil. In April 2014, a violent land pirates. In July 2014, it was reported that at Two incidents in Gokana that were reported dispute erupted between two communities, least four people had been killed in a raid during 2012 included a case of suspected causing property damage although no on a community by an armed gang. child abuse by a village chief and the deaths were reported. In September, at shooting death of a former militant by an least one youth was reported killed after assassin posing as a member of the JTF. In being ambushed in the continuation of an 2013, the main reports of insecurity came apparent dispute between two rival youth from gang and cult violence, often over groups.

FFP is committed to promoting sustainable One of the data sources The data used in this analysis was pulled human security around the world, and is utilized in the summary was from the integrated digital platform for the International Coordinating Partner on P4P, an initiative derived from the UNLocK network in NIgeria, a partnership multistakeholder engagement developed for Partners for Peace supported by PIND. FFP has been working with local civil society between The Fund for Peace and the Institute of Human Rights (P4P) by PIND. For a deeper understanding of the conflict risk in Nigeria to develop the UNLocK network since 2010. and Humanitatian Law (IHRHL). factors, visit www.p4p-nigerdelta.org.

Disclaimer The content of this report represents a summary of the incidents reported in the data, not the opinions of the organizations that collaborated on the compilation of this information.