A total number of 8,000 Nigerians have lost their lives and another 260,000 other victims displaced within 10 years due to the rising spate of insecurity in Nigeria’s troubled northwest region.
This was revealed on Monday by the International Crisis Group following a fresh report titled: “Violence in Nigeria’s North West: Rolling Back the Mayhem,” published on its website.
The report by the international non-profit organisation revealed that most of the victims of the violence were mainly in Zamfara State which had witnessed a surge in banditry, cattle rustling and kidnappings in the period under review.
“Over the last decade, more than 8,000 people have been killed – mainly in Zamfara State – with over 200,000 internally displaced and about 60,000 fleeing into Niger Republic. Livestock and crops have been decimated, further depressing human livelihood indices that were already the country’s lowest. The violence is aggravating other security challenges: it has forced more herders southward into the country’s Middle Belt, thus increasing herder-farmer tension in that region and beyond,” the report said.
The report also recommends steps the Nigerian government could take to help contain the situation.
“Durably ending the violence in Nigeria’s North West requires a multi-pronged approach, some of which must necessarily focus on the long term. The foremost priority is to encourage negotiated settlements between herders and farmers, as well as to disarm, rehabilitate and reintegrate members of their allied armed groups.
“In support of this effort, the federal and state governments should prioritise reforming livestock production systems in a manner that addresses the needs of both herders and farmers, and thereby minimises friction between them.