Five Christian youths were recently sentenced to death by hanging for killing a Fulani herder, himself alleged to have killed 48 people.
The five are from Adamawa state in northeast Nigeria, one of the three states most severely hit by the Boko Haram insurgency. Many fled Boko Haram, only to be targeted again, this time by mainly Muslim Fulani herders, responsible for more violence than Boko Haram over the past three years. Dr Atta Barkindo*, who has researched the area widely, analysed some of the root causes behind the inter-ethnic, inter-religious conflict.
Breakdown of law and order
At first sight, the failure of the Nigerian security services has left families and communities vulnerable to herdsmen’s attacks. This has then created a culture of impunity, completely eroding any trust communities have for their government and security services. The government and security services are seen as complicit in crimes against mainly Christian communities.
When Fulani herdsmen attacked Dong, Adamawa in 2017, a Nigerian Air Force helicopter bombed the entire village. Young people in that area realised that the government, far from defending them, could even exacerbate the situation. As a result, they realised they would have to defend themselves and their communities.
Lack of trust in security services
The failure of the rule of law, and lack of trust in the security services (police and military), has led to the emergence of ethnic militia groups keen to defend their families and communities. The hangings show the government is holding people accountable for crimes committed and will therefore deter future perpetrators, and re-establish the role of the security services, whose constitutional responsibility it is to protect lives and properties.
Historical context for violence
The historical context of the farmer–herd-ers conflict is marked by political domination of members of one religious group over the others. Following the establishment of the Sokoto caliphate in 1804 and the consolidation of Islamic rule in Adamawa province, Numan Federation has remained the only territory that is not completely under Islamic rule. Its population remains predominantly Christian, but over the years there has been massive internal migration and the settlement of Hausa-Fulani Muslims; the migrants increasingly appear to dominate the political and economic sectors of the area. Now there are agitations for the creation of an Islamic emirate out of the territory.
Recent killings, and the sentencing of the five young men, is an effort to intimidate a predominantly Christian population into submission. This is not about conflict over natural resources, because some regions, particularly Ganye, Toungo and the border areas that stretch into Cameroon, have a vast spread of environmental resources that could feed millions of cattle. Yet, the Fulani herders have mostly refused to move to those areas, although some have.
Numan
Why is Numan of paramount interest to the mainly Muslim Hausa-Fulani?
Numan is the major area of Christianity in Adamawa state, and the major voice of opposition against predominantly Muslim Hausa-Fulani domination in the state.
Additionally, the verdict against the five men should be understood in the context of the wider persecution of Christians in the Middle Belt region and beyond; it says a lot about the justice system in Nigeria. It is dominated by a particular religious group – non-Christians who are already tilted towards the support and implementation of a particular religious agenda. The system is designed to punish, exclude and marginalise Christians into submission.
The traditional, military and security hierarchies are controlled by non-Christians. In Adamawa state, all traditional institutions (except places such as the Numan Federation) are controlled by Muslims, and there is an unwritten rule – it’s not in the Nigerian constitution – that traditional chiefs in some areas must be Muslims.
This conflict is further exacerbated by the continuous migration and settlement of Hausa-Fulani Muslims within the Numan Federation and other territories. The uncontrolled migration, political domination and suppression exhibited by the Hausa-Fulani against indigenous tribes that are predominantly Christian has increased the level of tension and conflict.
The intention of the elite is to send a strong message to other communities that Islam is here to stay, and there is little point in resistance.
Pattern of takeover
The strategy of the mainly Muslim Hausa-Fulani appears to follow the same pattern: migration, settlement, occupation and control through forceful conversion, abduction, deception and early marriage, and then the demand for an independent chiefdom.
