Exploring the Relationship Among Offenders, Victims and Bystanders of Violence: Analysis of Herdsmen Victimization in Nigeria
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Sociology and Anthropology 8(2): 21-35, 2020 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/sa.2020.080201 Exploring the Relationship among Offenders, Victims and Bystanders of Violence: Analysis of Herdsmen Victimization in Nigeria Michael Christopher Eraye, Chinwokwu Eke Chijioke* Department of Sociology, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Received October7, 2019; Revised November 19, 2019; Accepted November 25, 2019 Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract This study explored the prevalence of 1. Introduction violence orchestrated by herdsmen in Nigeria, with a view to situating the nature of the relationship that exists among Nigeria is a creation of the colonial masters. It was in the herdsmen, residents and bystanders which triggers 1914 that the then colonial (British) representative Lord further violence. The paper acknowledges that, violence Frederick Lugard joined the North and Sourthern perpetrated by herdsmen has reached an alarming protectorates in an unconsented matrimony that have proportion and the government has not marshaled enough remained the undoing of Nigeria as a country. Before, 1914 political will to address the problem because of the apathy the people living in the geographical entity called Nigeria shown towards checkmating the menace. By way of had separate political and economic structures. Nigeria is a qualitative analysis of secondary sources, the paper posited multilingual and multiethnic nation with over 400 ethnic that violence spearheaded by herdsmen was directly and groups (Badejo, 1989). The Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba indirectly encouraged by government and security agents are the main ethnic groups in Nigeria while Christianity and to victimize the vulnerable population by them in actions Islam are the major religions in the country. The and body language of government. The paper further Hausa/Fulani dominates the North, Igbo in the East and observed that violence was exacerbated by the nature of the Yoruba in the West, and they are culturally different in relationship that exists among the herders, residents and various ways. Nigeria is estmated to be over 202 million those saddled with constitutional responsibility to protect people as at November 2019 (World Population Review, the residents. The relationship among the herdsmen, 2019). Since the inception of the country, conflicts have victims and bystanders has negative implications on arrest dominated the political sphere, but this became more and prosecution of the criminal herdsmen whose activities pronounced since 1960 after the independence. The return have jeopardized the futures of many Nigerians. The paper of Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999 has not changed the recommended among others that government should hold conflict situation instead it has continued to deepen each unto its constitutional responsibility of providing security day with severe threat to national unity and development as for all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic and religious various violent crimes seem to dominate the politics. affiliation and community leaders must ensure that Nigeria is currently enmeshed in a myriad of socio- indiscriminate and unregulated accommodation of economic, political and security problems which has herdsmen in their communities is checkmated. Government severely affected the citizens wellbeing. Aside from the should take decisive action by proscribing Miyetti Allah past scourging economic recession, poverty, under whose umbrella herdsmen perform their heinous unemployment, militancy, the Boko Haram insurgency, crimes. Fulani herdsmen terrorism, armed banditry, and kidnapping have taking over most communities in Nigeria Keywords Offenders, Bystanders, Victims, Bystander in such prevalence and unprecedented manner as to of Violence, Victimization question the capacity of government to protect her citizens. After the civil war, there has been an upsurge in violent crimes cum intensive use of sophisticated weapons resulting in massive killing and destruction of properties. Igbo (2007) was of the view that the end of the civil war in 22 Exploring the Relationship among Offenders, Victims and Bystanders of Violence: Analysis of Herdsmen Victimization in Nigeria January 1970 witnessed the emergence and widespread and causing mayhem across the country are foreigners, yet utilization of firearms especially in robbery and violent government seems unperturbed by that development. The crimes. The civil war provided the avenue for the states of Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and Taraba acquisition and proliferation of sophisticated weapons in seem to have been worst hit by the wanton destruction of the hands of criminals. Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria. The herdsmen are often seen Consequently, kidnapping, murder, rape, trans-border moving around openly with sophisticated firearms with no crime, cultism and militancy gained prominence in Nigeria. security agency challenging them. They seem to be very While efforts were being made to contend with the violent powerful with firm hold on government that their criminal crime ushered in by the civil war, the Niger Delta criminal activities are seen as normal while citizens die in their activities became another issue of global concern. In a hundreds and villages annihilated. It is on this background related development, the Boko Haram saga started and that Chinwokwu (2017) argued that the criminal activities created so much security challenges for Nigeria. Of recent, of Fulani herdsmen have been glamorized by government the activities of herdsmen have created many problems and body language which provides the platform for their threatened the peaceful co-existence and unity of the nation criminal acts. Militant herdsmen often use machine guns called Nigeria. The cumulative effect of the activities of and other sophisticated weapons to attack communities. violent criminals is that Nigeria has become very unsafe as Okpaga, Ugwu and Ene (2012) expressed dismay at the human lives and properties are wantonly destroyed with way and manner herdsmen spearhead onslaught on impunity and government seemingly incapacitated to individuals, homes, livestocks, churches and mosques with provide the needed security for her citizens. impunity. The persistent killings and massive destruction of human Olayoku (2014) opined that a recent observation of the lives and properties by herdsmen militia across the country activities of herders in Nigeria revealed that it has assumed has been pervasive for sometimes now without any respite a more lethal and sophisticated dimensions due to the (Adedeji, 2016). This is worrisome especially when it nature of arms and ammunition deployed, the nature of appears that government security agencies lack the magic involved, communication gadgets and casualties wherewithal to contain the menace of Fulani herdsmen. recorded. It has been observed that herdsmen migrate This is clearly observed in the continuous victimization of several kilometers, while taking violence to their victims. the vulnerable population on daily basis without anyone to The attacks are sometimes carried out at night or early protect them. The situation has inevitably compelled many hours of the morning when unsuspecting victims least Nigerians to believe that government has no political will expect. Their activities have evidently destabilized the to address the problem of herdsmen in Nigeria, or Nigeria’s social, economic, religious and technological activities of security forces and allies are not adequately protecting the many Nigerians. vulnerable population (Centre for Civilians in Conflict With the rise and unregulated violent criminal activities (CCC), 2015). Evidently, it is one of the biggest threats to of herdsmen, the resources of the victimized communities global peace and stability in contemporary times; most are threatened. Michael, Chinwokwu and Inyang (2017) especially when the Institute for Economic and Peace (2018) while expanding on the negative, but unrestrained activities classified the group as the fourth deadliest terrorist of herdsmen and its implications posited that the National organization globally. Since the dawn of this millennium, Emergency Management Agency in Nigeria declared a the incidence of terrorism has been on a steady rise total of 377,701 internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a worldwide. A few years ago, the problem of herdsmen result of herdsmen violent attacks across Northern Nigeria. victimization was in isolated places in the North- East, and Similarly, in July 2014, the International Organization for North-Central Nigeria, but the situation has changed as the Migration (IOM) established a Displacement Tracking violent criminal activities carried out by herdsmen has Matrix (DTM) to assist government in collecting and spread rapidly across the states of Nigeria (Okey, 2013). disseminating data on IDPs. In Benue state alone, over Scholars (Okolie & Iorfyer, 2014; Olayaku, 2014) have 1,500 people were killed in 47 violent attacks by Fulani shown that Fulani herdsmen have persistently carried out herdsmen since 2015 (Iorhemen, 2018). Amnesty devastating violent attacks on vulnerable communities International reported that 549 people were killed in 2017 across the country with great devastation as if government while 1,351 people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in 10 security forces do not exist.