Rivers, Cross River most violent states in N/Delta – Report
By Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt
Rivers, Cross River, Delta and Edo States were the most violent states in the South South region in 2019, a new report has revealed.
The Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) said the states recorded the highest number of political, electoral and other violent crime in the year under review.
PIND is an initiative for the promotion of equitable development and peace building in the Niger Delta region.
According to the report, a total of 969 lives were lost in 415 recorded violent incidences in the region in 2019 with the four states recording the highest number of crisis and casualties.
The survey, the report stated, was carried out in the areas of political/ election violence, violent crimes (armed robbery, kidnapping, piracy, ritual killings, among others), gang/cult clashes, as well as communal/ethnic clashes.
The report observed that all the conflicts occurred in all the states of the region but they were prevalent in the four states.
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Part of the report states:, “This is the second year running, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Delta and Edo states have emerged the most violent in the Niger Delta region in 2019 based on the number of reported conflict fatalities, after report revealed they were the most volatile in 2018.
“Available data/ report has revealed that in the overall, the most reported incidents of violence related to criminality (including piracy, abductions, armed robbery cases, and ritual killings) which totalled 260 incidents resulted into 444 fatalities in all the states.
“This was followed by gang/cult related clashes with 272 fatalities in 78 reported incidents, report revealed.
“Gang violence was reported in all the states in the region, but it was more prevalent in Rivers, Edo, and Delta.”
The group added: “Further breakdown of the nature of conflicts and their consequences, the Foundation noted that communal/ethnic tensions ranked third highest conflict issue in the region in the year under review, resulting in 197 fatalities in 77 reported cases.
“These incidents include land disputes, farmer/herder conflicts, and ethnic separatist agitation.
“Political and election violence also caused over 100 fatalities during the period, especially in Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa state.
“In the runoff elections held in the area after the 2015 general elections and during the 2019 elections heightened political tension in the region. In February 2019, for instance, no fewer than 56 fatalities were reported in the area during the Presidential elections.
“Conflict flashpoints in the region remained largely unchanged in 2019, from that of 2018.
10 local Governments in six states were identified in the report as the most violent in the year 2019.” It said.
The report further identified that most of the recorded violents took place in the following Local government areas (LGAs) of the named states in the year under review (2019).
In Rivers state the incidents occurred mostly in Khana, Obio/Akpor, Emohua, Port Harcourt, and Oyigbo LGAs.
While the rest happened in Oredo (Edo), Yenagoa (Bayelsa), Odukpani (Cross River), Mbo (Akwa Ibom), and Ethiope East (Delta).
The 2019 further stated that the highest number of the violent incidents and their attendant high death rate took place in the month of April with a total of 150 reported cases of deaths.
“For example, a fight between two rival cult groups in Rumuolumeni community in Obio/Akpor LGA of River state in April 2019 reportedly claimed eight lives.
“In the same vein, in April, 10 people were reportedly killed during a clash over a land dispute between some communities in Obubra LGA of Cross River State and their neighboring Ikwo community in Ebonyi State.”
“The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is highly diverse with over 40 ethnic groups who speak more than 100 languages and dialects. The region is made up of a total of 185 LGAs and covers nine states out of the 36 states of Nigeria,” the report noted.
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