ISSUE NO. #2 PEACE AND CONFLICT TRENDS ANALYSIS Adamawa & Borno States February 2018 CONTENTS INCIDENCE BY CATEGORY • Summary • Introduction • Risk Factor I: Juvenile violence and gangster activities in Adamawa state • Risk Factor II: Insurgents attacks • Recommendations Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international nonprofit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, SUMMARY organizations, and governments This trend analysis highlights the attack on communities in Adamawa deal with conflict, away from current trend of juvenile violence and and Borno states, highlighting the adversarial approaches and gangster activities by both in-school vulnerability of Kounduga and Jere towards cooperative solution. and out-of-school boys in Adamawa Local Government Areas (LGA) of Search has been operational in state. It examines the drivers Borno state to insurgents’ attack Nigeria since 2004 in the Niger of the violent activities by these and increased success of security Delta, North East, and North young people and groups including response to insurgent’s attack in Central. Yan’Shila boys whose activities border communities in Adamawa threaten peace and human security of State. The analysis presents Where do we get our groups in the state. This analysis also recommendations to address the information? This publication provides analysis of risk and showed the continued insurgents’ identified risks. peace factors emerging from monitoring trends of incidents RISK FACTOR I: and situation reports in Borno JUVENILE VIOLENCE AND GANGSTERS ACTIVITIES IN and Adamawa States where ADAMAWA STATE Search’s early warning and early response system is operational. Adamawa state’s steady progress One of the most The system relies on data from to becoming a post insurgent state trained community observers, is a positive development; however concerning of all the Search staff, and local partners. the prolonged period of insurgent emergent issues is attacks characterized by killing, juvenile violence by maiming, displacement, disruption both in-school and of lives and livelihoods, destruction out-of-school children For more information go to of social amenities, weakened social and young people bit.ly/Nigeria-Monthly- interactions among groups has in communities in Bulletin birthed some security threats and Adamawa state. social concerns. (1) Peace and Conflict Trends Analysis February 2018 SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND In the month reviewed, three incidents not registered students of the school dialogue platforms facilitated by involving in-school students including and were subsequently handed over Search for Common Ground in the pupils as young as seven years old to the police while the students were state. Yan’ Shila is gang of young were recorded in Mubi North, Girei, disciplined by the school authority. males of age bracket 14-21 years, and Yola North LGAs of the state. Series of violent gang activities were who have been alleged of kidnapping, In Yelwa community of Mubi North, also reported in Capital School at robbery, drug peddling and other petty an ex-head boy of a primary school Damilu community since January criminal activities in the state. reportedly mobilized his gang of 7-9 when a group of students were caught The group has had several altercations years old to attack the new head boy, with security operatives with many in a bid to force him to step-down This new trend is a arrested. as the head boy of the school. This threat to both teachers incident reportedly triggered violent With governments inability to address and students and confrontation between different the violent and criminal activities of gangs in the community including impedes the needed Shila boys: gangs of older boys and young adults peaceful environment supporting either sides of the dispute. necessary for The negative influence Two people reportedly sustained effective learning and machete injuries in the incident. The uninterrupted school of Shila boys seems to intervention of the Muslim Council in calendar in a state where be gradually robbing the community prevented a further that has just become off on in-school young escalation of the crisis. stable following a long people. On February 8, two students of Capital In Girei LGA, 12 Government period of interruption Secondary School (GSS) ‘students’ due to insurgency. Secondary school were arrested for knife possession were paraded by the following reports of knife attacks on assaulting fellow students with knives. Nigerian Police along both students and staff of the school The activities of Shila Boys in Yola members of Yan’ Shila as well as members of the public. North, has been a major concern for theft and other Investigations however revealed that discussed at both the community criminal activities. 6 of the apprehended students were and state level security architecture This trend is prevelant despite the the state. Current trend of juvenile government institutions and civil clampdown by the Police; however violence involving both in-school and society organizations. there is limited information about other out-of-school young people makes responses by the state to address the addressing these issues more urgent. Similarly, there is the need to address challenge. Report from community the rising trend of substance abuse sources showed most members of RECOMMENDATIONS of prescribed drugs and other Yan’ Shila were dislodged from the Adamawa state government working concoctions used by young people Yola metropolis and are currently in with relevant government ministries, evident in their negative influence on an area called “New Sambisa”, a den agencies and departments should their attitude and behavior. of criminal activities located in the invest in generating workable outskirts of the Yola city. Members solutions to the problem of out-of- Need for investment in of the group alongside other young school children and young people trauma counseling and people, male and female reportedly in communities in Girei, Yola North psychosocial support for carry out their nefarious activities Mubi North and South, Michika LGAs young people to address in New Sambisa with minimum among others. the accumulated impact intervention by the government or its of exposure to violence security agencies. The dislodgement Investment in violence prevention during the insurgency of Shila boys from the metropolis and mitigation campaign both for in- period, especially to school and out-of-school children in seems to be a short term solution reverse the psyche of communities should be prioritized which needs to be built upon to violence and stress they address the causes, drivers and and developed through collaboration could have accumulated manifestation and impact of juvenile with school management authorities, through this exposure. violence and gangster activities in parents’ association, relevant (2) Peace and Conflict Trends Analysis February 2018 SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND Security response to this challenge should include robust deployment RISK FACTOR II: of intelligence to address some of INSURGENT ATTACKS the criminal activities driving and sustaining Yan’ Shila including more sophisticated criminal gangs Yan’Shila may be connected to. Lastly, efforts to address juvenile violence in the state should be situated in the larger framework of addressing the issue of out-of-school children either due to the Almajiri system or as a result of an interruption in the educational calendar due to insurgency between 2013 and 2015. In February, the trend of the early On 15 February, the Nigerian Army set a 3 million Naira bounty on Shekau, to warning report showed continued be given to anyone with information that could lead to his arrest. insurgent’s attacks on communities in Borno and Adamawa states. At least Kounduga LGA in Borno state accounted for about 35% of 15 insurgent attacks were recorded suspected Boko Haram attacks recorded in the states in the despite claims by the military that Boko Haram has been decimated. month. 80% of the attacks were bomb attacks. While attacks The military reported that Abubakar on Kofa and Moshimari villages did not record significant Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, reportedly fled Sambisa forest wearing casualty, the suicide bomb attack on Tashan Kifi, a fish a women's attire. To contradict market on 16 February killed at least 19 people and injured this claim, on February 6, Boko Haram reportedly released a video 70 others while two suicide bomb attacks on the Dalori 1 of its leader, asking non-combatant internally displaced persons’ camp killed at least 5 persons members of the group to pick up arms and join the fight and asserting that he with estimated 45 persons injured. A total of five females and is still in Sambisa forest and controls two males reportedly carried suicide attacks reported. the territory. On 17 February, suspected insurgents bomb attack on 8 February was the route to Maiduguri metropolis. In reportedly attacked a convoy of intercepted by security forces that shot Jere LGA, representatives of Civilian civilian vehicles that were escorted the female bomb carrier, detonating Joint Task Force (CJTF) supporting by security forces in Damboa LGA, the device and killing only the bomb the military in countering violent along the Maiduguri-Damboa road. carrier. A suicide bomb carrier was extremism at Search supported The security forces returned fire and similarly intercepted and shot by dialogue platform in the LGA