30.04.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Report on terrorist movements ("Country Report on Terrorism 2007") [ID 23269]

Document(s): Chapter 2 - Country Reports: Africa
Chapter 6 - Terrorist Organizations

05.2007 - Source: US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Northern Nigeria: Increasing number of radical Islamic militants from outside Nigeria ("Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom") [ID 20785]

"Since 2003, there have been an increasing number of small, vocal Muslim groups in northern Nigeria that advocate strict application of sharia, and which, some argue, are helping create a haven for radical Islamic militants from outside Nigeria. Though not organized as a nationwide movement, some of these groups advocate a more forcible Islamization of all Nigerian society, regardless of religious affiliation. Over the past two years, Nigerian security forces have dealt more decisively with Islamic extremist groups, resulting in a decrease in the number of incidents related to these groups’ activities, a positive development. However, in April 2007, 12 Nigerian police officers were killed after Islamist extremists attacked a police station in Kano. Nigerian security forces responded by killing at least 25 of the self-styled “Taliban” militants, who Nigerian authorities said came into Nigeria from neighboring Chad."

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Intercommunal violence occurred regularly in 2006; Nigerians deemed "non-indigenous" discriminated against ("World Report 2007") [ID 18967]

"As in previous years, grisly episodes of intercommunal violence were a regular occurrence in 2006. The government has done nothing to put a halt to one key factor that feeds some of this violence: unconstitutional policies that subject millions of Nigerians to discrimination and disadvantage because they are not deemed ethnic “indigenes” of the communities they live in. The police and military have not only failed to prevent intercommunal violence but have been implicated in countless acts of criminal violence themselves."

Document(s): Open document

21.09.2006 - Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (formerly Global IDP Project)

Conflict often breaks out along religious or ethnic lines; Danish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in February 2006 triggered wave of sectarian violence; violence in oil-rich Delta region increased; local resistance to handover of Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon causes concern ("Heightened risk of violence and displacement ahead of 2007 elections") [ID 17979]

"While conflict often breaks out along religious or ethnic lines, poverty and unequal access to power and resources – be they land or oil wealth – are often at the heart of the conflict. Underlying tensions are never far from the surface, and may indeed be encouraged by scheming politicians seeking gain from social division. The high death toll and internal displacement resulting from a wave of sectarian violence across the country triggered by Danish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in February 2006, coinciding with a dramatic increase in militant violence in the oil-rich Delta region, were clear warning signs that once violence erupts it can quickly take on a momentum of its own. Violence linked with secessionist demands in Nigeria’s south-east, as well as local resistance to the official handover by Nigeria of the oil-rich Bakassi penin-sula to Cameroon, are further causes for concern. Many observers fear that the level of conflict, and with it the level of internal displacement, may increase as the April 2007 presidential elections draw nearer. Splits within the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, and increasing jockeying for power have seen a rise in the num-ber of political assassinations and a general sense of insecurity across the country. Failure to strengthen Nigeria’s fragile democracy and to ensure free and fair elec-tions could ultimately result in massive population movements both within and well beyond the country’s borders."

Document(s): Open document

21.09.2006 - Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (formerly Global IDP Project)

Division between people considered indigenous, and those regarded as settlers as well as poverty and unequal access to resources are prevalent causes of communal violence ("Heightened risk of violence and displacement ahead of 2007 elections") [ID 17982]

"Perhaps the most significant cause of communal violence in Nigeria is the en-trenched divisions throughout the coun-try between people considered indigenous to an area, and those re-garded as settlers. Even though settlers may have lived in an area for hundreds of years, they are consistently discrimi-nated against in terms of land ownership, control of commerce, jobs and education. [...] Closely linked to this is the problem of poverty and unequal access to resources. Despite its oil wealth (Nigeria is Africa’s leading oil producer, and the seventh largest in the world), at least two thirds of Nigerians live on less than $1 per day. Many people believe that conflicts are created and fanned by scheming politi-cians, particularly elites of the former military regime, relying on the huge pools of destitute and frustrated youths to create social division. The violence can then quickly spread and take on a momentum of its own (BBC, 5 May 2004)."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Military and police are accused of harassment, extortion, and excessive use of force ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 15680]

"In 2003 the government began "Operation Restore Hope," a joint task force consisted of approximately five thousand army, navy, air force, and mobile police personnel under the command of Army General Zamani, in response to violence in the Niger Delta region (see section 5). During the year task force personnel and militant youths had numerous skirmishes and encounters. Human rights organizations accused the military and police of harassment, extortion, and excessive use of force in the region."

Document(s): Open document