Amnesty International Says FG Responsible For 3,641 Deaths By Killer Herdsmen

Amnesty International says FG Responsible for 3,641 deaths by Killer Herdsmen

Amnesty
International has blamed the Federal Government for the killing of
3,641 persons during the clashes between herdsmen and farmers from 2016
to 2018.

In  its investigative report on the clashes in parts of
the country released on Monday, AI said the Federal Government beyond
issuing statements to condemn the attacks did not do enough to “bring
those reasonably suspected of involvement in crimes to justice”.

The  body claimed that 2,075  persons were killed in the clashes  in 2018 alone.

According
to the report, the Federal  Government failed in “fulfilling its
constitutional responsibility of protection of lives and property by
refusing to investigate, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of attacks”.

AI
noted that 22 states were affected, with Benue recording the highest
number of deaths – 726. Adamawa followed with 540 and Plateau with 492
lives. The report titled, ‘Harvest of death: Three years of bloody
clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria’ also said many lives  
were lost in  Zamfara, Taraba, Kaduna and Nasarawa states.

The
report partly reads, “This report documents the violent clashes between
members of farmer communities and members of herder communities in parts
of Nigeria, particularly in the northern part of the country, over
access to resources: water, land and pasture.

“The report shows
how government’s inaction fuels impunity, resulting in attacks and
reprisals, with at least 3,641 people killed between January 2016 and
October 2018; 57 per cent of them in 2018 alone.

“Beyond issuing
statements condemning attacks after they happen, not enough is being
done by the federal and state governments to rein in attackers and bring
those reasonably suspected of involvement in crimes to justice.

“Several
victims told AI that they recognised some of their attackers.
Communities have also sent reports to authorities and in some cases
provided information about attacks. But in many cases, no arrests were
made. Some local and state officials have also confirmed this failure to
AI.”

It added, “Our research showed that these attacks were well
planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and
AK-47 rifles. Yet, little has been done by the authorities in terms of
prevention, arrests and prosecutions, even when information about the
suspected perpetrators was available.

“The failure of the
government has also been in the area of compensation and resettlement of
displaced people. In addition to the loss of lives, the Federal
Government reckons that the farmers/herders clashes cost the country
N5tn. In May 2018, the Federal Government released the sum of N10bn for
the rehabilitation and reconstruction of villages affected by the
crisis. It is not clear how the funds will be disbursed and which
communities will benefit.”

The body also slammed  the military and the police for their failure to address the problems.

It
said, “The AI research reveals a disturbing pattern of failure on the
part of security forces to protect people from vicious and mostly deadly
attacks by armed groups. Eyewitnesses, victims, local officials and
others independently interviewed have recounted several incidents where
police and soldiers have either ignored credible warnings of impending
attacks or abandoned people during or just before deadly attacks by
heavily armed groups, suspected to be members of herder or farmer
communities.”

AI said it visited 56 communities in Adamawa,
Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and Zamfara states affected by the clashes and
conducted 262 interviews, including interviewing people in remote
communities in Nasarawa and Plateau states.

However, the army dismissed the report, saying AI’s aim  was to destabilise the country.
The
Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Sani Usman, on Monday in a
statment, said, “The Nigerian branch of Amnesty International that has
hitherto been well respected has deviated from the core values,
principles and objectives of the original Amnesty International
domiciled in the United Kingdom.

“There is credible information
that the Nigerian branch of the International Non-governmental
Organisation is determined to destabilise the Nigerian nation. This is
noted through fabrication of fictitious allegations of alleged human
rights abuses against the Nigerian security forces and a  clandestine
sponsorship of dissident groups to protest, as well as unfounded
allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military.

“Nigerians
should be wary of AI because its goals are to destabilise Nigeria and
to dismember it. The army has no option but  to call for the closure of
AI offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues.”

Source:- Punchng