# Makai DANIEL http://www.ifra-nigeria.org/IMG/pdf/violence-related-deaths-gombe-jigawa-state-nigeria.pdf A Study of Violence-Related Deaths in Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State and Auyo, Gagarawa, Gumel, Gwiwa, Kaugama and Yankwasi Local Government Areas of Jigawa State (2006-2014) IFRA-Nigeria working papers series, n°46 20/01/2015 The ‘Invisible Violence’ Project Based in the premises of the French Institute for Research in Africa on the campus of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria Watch is a database project that has monitored fatal incidents and human security in Nigeria since 1 June 2006. The database compiles violent deaths on a daily basis, including fatalities resulting from accidents. It relies on a thorough reading of the Nigerian press (15 dailies & weeklies) and reports from human rights organisations. The two main objectives are to identify dangerous areas and assess the evolution of violence in the country. However, violence is not always reported by the media, especially in remote rural areas that are difficult to access. Hence, in the last 8 years, Nigeria Watch has not recorded any report of fatal incidents in some of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Nigerian Federation. There are two possibilities: either these places were very peaceful, or they were not covered by the media. This series of surveys thus investigates ‘invisible’ violence. By 1 November 2014, there were still 23 LGAs with no report of fatal incidents in the Nigeria Watch database: Udung Uko and Urue-Offong/Oruko (Akwa Ibom), Kwaya Kusar (Borno), Nafada (Gombe), Auyo, Gagarawa, Kaugama and Yankwashi (Jigawa), Ingawa and Matazu (Katsina), Sakaba (Kebbi), Bassa, Igalamela- Odolu and Mopa-Muro (Kogi), Toto (Nassarawa), Ifedayo (Osun), Gudu and Gwadabaw (Sokoto), Ussa (Taraba), and Karasuwa, Machina, Nguru and Yunusari (Yobe). Dr. Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos Professor, French Institute of Geopolitics, University of Paris 8 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Study of Violence-Related Deaths in Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State and Auyo, Gagarawa, Gumel, Gwiwa, Kaugama and Yankwasi Local Government Areas of Jigawa State (2006-2014) Project Invisible Violence Background.................................................................5 Methodology...............................................................5 Invisible violence in Gombe: the cas of Nafada LGA..9 Invisible violence in Jigawa: the case of Auyo, Gwiwa, Gagarawa, Gumel, Kuagama, and Yankwasi LGAs...12 Limitations of the study.............................................18 Findings and discussion ............................................19 Conclusion................................................................20 Bibliography .............................................................21 Abbreviations............................................................22 List of figures............................................................22 IFRA-Nigeria epapers series, 2015, n°46 MAKAI DANIEL – A STUDY OF VIOLENCE RELATED 3 DEATHS IN NAFADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF GOMBE STAGE AUD AUYO, GAGARAWA, GUMEL, GWIWA, KAUGAMA AND YANKASI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF JOGAWA STATE (2006- 2014) MAKAI Daniel* A Study of Violence-Related Deaths in Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State and Auyo, Gagarawa, Gumel, Gwiwa, Kaugama and Yankwasi Local Government Areas of Jigawa State (2006-2014) Project Invisible Violence Executive summary Invisible violence exists in some rural areas in northern Nigeria. ‘Invisible’ here entails lack of available documented instances of fatal violence in such areas. Against this backdrop, the lack of data has prompted this study to unearth, document, and evaluate any occurrences of lethal violence in selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Gombe and Jigawa states from 2006 to 2014. The specific objectives are to: • Assess and document invisible violence in Gombe and Jigawa states. • Evaluate the categories of lethal violence that have occurred. • Document the series of lethal violence incidents through terrorism, ethno- religious conflicts, land disputes, inter- and intra-group and political conflicts. * Daniel Makai is studying African History at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Any errors remain the sole responsibility of the author. Contact: [email protected] 4 The field research gathered evidence of the drivers of invisible violence in northern Nigeria through desktop review of secondary materials such as media reports, databases, policy reports, and academic literature, combined with primary research involving the conduct of key informant interviews, administration of questionnaires, and focus group discussions (FGDs). According to the findings, the lack of data on fatal incidents in the focal communities results from the minimal occurrence of such violent activities. Yet economic (poverty and unemployment) as well as socio- cultural factors (poor parental upbringing or neglect of children) underpin young people’s vulnerability to recruitment into violent activities by extremist groups or gangs. The high unemployment environment has caused youth involvement in the achaba (motor bike) business, leading to over-speeding and road traffic accidents. The study also found that the excesses of the security forces are not a major factor in youth involvement in violent activities, contrary to the popular assumption in some quarters. IFRA-Nigeria epapers series, 2015, n°46 MAKAI DANIEL – A STUDY OF VIOLENCE RELATED 5 DEATHS IN NAFADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF GOMBE STAGE AUD AUYO, GAGARAWA, GUMEL, GWIWA, KAUGAMA AND YANKASI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF JOGAWA STATE (2006- 2014) BACKGROUND The return to democracy in Nigeria in May 1999 brought hopes of rapid development and political stability. However, violent conflicts and criminality have undermined those expectations. Groups such as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the O’Odua People’s Congress (OPC), the Bakassi Boys, and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) have proliferated. In particular, Boko Haram has leveraged the vulnerability of Nigerian youth to drive for recruitment and radicalisation. Many believe that the sympathisers of the group are mostly disaffected and unemployed youths who live in hostile environments with many challenges, including economic, social, and political deprivations. However, the rising activities of insurgent groups in the North-East have generated interest in other quarters of the region that show little or no data on violence. The specific objectives of the study are to: • Provide an empirical understanding and assessment of invisible violence in Nafada in Gombe State and Auyo, Gumel, Gwiwa, Gagarawa, Kaugama, and Yankwasi in Jigawa State. • Document the series of lethal violence incidents, if any, in the aforementioned focal communities from 2006 to 2014. METHODOLOGY In the course of this research, a vast array of sources was consulted in crosschecking the rate of invisible violence in Nafada LGA of Gombe State and Auyo, Gagarawa, Gumel, Gwiwa, Kaugama, and 6 Yankwasi LGAs of Jigawa State. In-depth interviews sourced first-hand information from 10–20 key stakeholders—community leaders, members of the security forces, youth leaders, religious leaders—from each of the focal Local Government Areas (LGAs). The interviews were mainly conducted in Hausa and were then transcribed and analysed in English. Three instruments were used to obtain data for this study. The main instrument was a questionnaire that sought to identify aspects of the socio-cultural, political, and religious orientation of young people and the incidences of lethal violence in the studied LGAs. Specifically, it covered young people’s cultural beliefs and practices vis-à-vis their society, parents, vulnerability to violence, factors giving rise to religious violence, sources of radicalising information, and so on. The questionnaire also contained several open-ended options for respondents to freely express their opinions. Qualitative data was generated through FGDs and key informant interviews. A total of 135 participants were selected and administered with the questionnaire through a convenient sampling technique in seven major towns of Gombe and Jigawa states in October 2014: 20 questionnaires were administered in Nafada LGA of Gombe State, and 115 in Auyo, Gagarawa, Gumel, Gwiwa, Kaugama, and Yankwasi LGAs of Jigawa State. The participants included teachers, security agents, youths, community and religious leaders, civil society organizations, and women. In view of the volatile security nature of the state, participants were identified purposively, with willingness to participate the most important criterion. Since many of those who volunteered were illiterate, some of the questionnaires were completed by the researcher. Three research assistants (one each in Nafada, Gwiwa, and Yankwasi) were trained on the questionnaire administration and helped the researcher to collect data. Five FGDs were held in Jigawa State (two each for youth and religious groups, and one for the security group). One FGD was held in Nafada at the IFRA-Nigeria epapers series, 2015, n°46 MAKAI DANIEL – A STUDY OF VIOLENCE RELATED 7 DEATHS IN NAFADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF GOMBE STAGE AUD AUYO, GAGARAWA, GUMEL, GWIWA, KAUGAMA AND YANKASI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF JOGAWA STATE (2006- 2014) Hakimi’s palace for some of his cabinet and security guards. Eighteen key informant interviews were held (three in Nafada and 15 in Jigawa) with participants