More than 220 killings and other violent deaths arising from what it called non-traditional crimes were said to have occurred in Nigeria within in the last two weeks, lamenting that the country was fast receding to total regime collapse and anarchy, a coalition of civil rights groups, International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, INTERSOCIETY, has alleged.
“Of the number, no fewer than 71 confirmed deaths and 87 feared deaths took place in Kaduna State alone,” according to INTERSOCIETY.
The group in a statement also said that “there are also no fewer than 59 Christians killed by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in the states of Taraba, Adamawa, Benue and Kogi since the beginning of May 2018 or from 1st to 15th May 2018.”
INTERSOCIETY expressed deep worry that in the face of these killings, the Nigerian Police do not have accurate figure of the number of killings going on in the country.
“The official crime records or statistics maintained by the Nigeria Police Force are long moribund; likewise forensic policing department including crime labs and literature. There are no credible official crimes’ statistics domiciled in the Nigeria Police Force till date; except independently generated ones arising from independent research findings and investigation.
“Till date, the Nigeria Police Force does not have credible and independently verifiable records showing the number of innocent citizens killed through nontraditional crimes such as Nigerians killed by herdsmen and the ‘Zamfara Bandits’ as well as those who died from traditional crimes of armed robbery, abductions, civil homicide, ritual killings, domestic violence including rape; as well as traffic and industrial related deaths.
“The NPF, specifically, does not have credible records showing patterns and trends of these sundry killings or deaths as well as the number of perpetrators or offenders arrested, detained, prosecuted, convicted, sentenced or acquitted.
“The NPF’s criminal investigation and prosecution skills and tools and their general management are also a disaster yet Nigerians squander over N300 billion in keeping the Force yearly,” the group lamented.
The statement which was signed by chairman of the group, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi also claimed that some of these killings were tribal and religious and blamed the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the government has not taken the killings serious.
“Since the beginning of May 2018 or between 1st and 15th May 2018, no fewer than 59 Christians have been killed by herdsmen in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and Kogi States. There are likely unreported others technically classified as ‘dark and grey figures of crimes’.
“Statistics of the anti Christian killings in the past two weeks of May 2018 further indicate that 10 Christians were killed on Tuesday, 2nd May 2018 in Tse Iortyer, near Yelewata community in Guma council areas of Benue State. The Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen had invaded the Christian community at about 8pm killing ten persons and injuring fifteen others. The killing was officially confirmed.
“In the early hours of Tuesday, 8th May 2018 herdsmen invaded five Christian villages of Bolki, Bang, Nzumoso, Boki and Gon in Numan and Larmude Local Government Areas of Adamawa State killing about 30 Christians and injuring others. According to the same Sun Newspaper of 9th May 2018, quoting the Chairman of Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State, Hon Rimansikwe Karma, the herdsmen also in the early hours of Wednesday, 9th May 2018, around 5 am, ambushed members of Tutuwa Christian Community in Ussa Local Government Area killing nine and injuring three.
“These killings are, therefore, nothing short of clear signs of a country speedily and irreversibly receding to total regime collapse and anarchy. The no fewer than 1,720 killings expressly translate to average of 10 killings in Nigeria per day in the past 165 days while the 220 killings recorded in the past two weeks of May 2018 translate to average of 15 killings per day.
“The most shocking aspect of it all is that Nigeria’s present central government that is constitutionally entrusted with fundamental duties of protecting lives and properties and ensuring citizens’ welfare has continuously crashed and failed woefully. Legitimacy with which government functions, governs and controls crimes and other deviant behaviors has grossly eluded the central Government in Nigeria including its security agencies.
“The central government in Nigeria is not only a notorious pursuer of crude hate and brazen partisanship as a policy but also a colossal failure in security and policing intelligence as well as preventive or proactive policing. It presently maintains the most lopsidedly composed security establishments in the history of Nigeria since its independence in 1960.
“The intolerance of the same Government to critical and analytical voices has consistently robbed it of opportunities to make amends and take concrete and remedial steps when necessary particularly in matters of security and policing blunders,” the group said.
