Introduction
Over the last few decades, the Nigerian State has witnessed an upsurge in different forms of violence, ranging from ethno-religious conflicts, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, domestic and sexual violence, communal strife, terrorism, human rights abuses, murder, cultism, attacks from armed groups, and banditry, all of which pose a threat to peace, security, and development in the country. According to the Nigeria Watch Database, between June 2006 and February 2023, about 185,958 persons have died as a result of violence in the country, with 6,875 of such fatalities occurring in Delta State.
The purpose of this paper is to therefore examine the trends and patterns of violence in Delta State, with specific focus on Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. Its objectives include 1) to analyze the patterns of fatalities caused by violence; and 2) to ascertain the main causes of violence in the area. The study relied largely on data derived from the Nigeria Watch Database from June 2006 and January 2023. Telephone interview was also conducted with five respondents living in various communities in Udu LGA to get their perception on the main causes of violence in the area, as well as the reasons behind some of these violence.
Udu Local Government Area: A Contextual Analysis
Located in the southern part of Nigeria, Delta State is one of the nine Niger-Delta States as defined by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Named after the Niger Delta, the state was formed from the former Bendel State on 27 August 1991. It is bordered on the East by Rivers and Anambra States; on the North by Edo State; on the west by the Bight of Benin, while on the south by Bayelsa State. Delta State is made up of 25 LGA with its capital city in Asaba, which is situated at the Western Bank of the Niger River in Oshimili South Local Government Area.
Udu, one of the 25 LGAs in Delta State, is part of the Delta Central Senatorial District and has its administrative center in Otor-Udu. It is a suburb of Warri Metropolis and a boundary LG, and it is connected to Enerhen by the Udu bridge over the Warri River. Udu is one of the Urhobo Kingdoms with its own king called Ovie. Its villages and communities include Ovwian, Okpaka, Epame, Opete, Orhuwhorun, Igbogidi, Oleri, Uwherun Settlement, Ekete Oburhie, Oghio, Ekete Oboto, Aladja, Emadadja, Ubogo, Egini, Ukperheren, Owhrode, Okolo Oboto, Ujevwu, Ovwhase, Ayama, Ukpiovwin, Okolo Oburhie, Otor Udu, Obubu, Ogbe Udu, Ovworokpokpo, and Delta State Company (DSC) Township.
According to the 2006 national population census, Udu LGA has a total of 142,480 out of the 4,112,445 inhabitants living in Delta State. It is a rural settlement, with a large percentage of its population involved in agricultural activities such as farming, fishing, while some of them engage in small-scale trade. Although the major ethnic group in the LGA is Urhobo, the Isoko, Ijaw, and Itsekiri can also be found in the area. The majority of people in Udu are practitioners of the Christian religion, while some others practice African traditional religion, the most prominent of which is the Igbe religion, which originated from Kokori in Ethiope East LGA in Delta State.
Figure 1: Absolute Number of Deaths Reported in Udu LGA (Nigeria Watch Database)
Causes of Violence in Udu LGA of Delta State
In Nigeria, violence takes different forms and shape, with its causes ranging from socio-economic and religious, to political and cultural reasons. Since 2006, there have been several incidences of violence-related death reported across communities in Udu LGA, most of which are associated with different forms of criminalities. The Nigeria Watch (NW) Database recorded a total of 258 deaths between November 2006 and January 2023 in the area, with the most reported incidences recorded between 2018 and 2021 (see Fig 1). Based on the NW database, crime, carried out by cult groups and armed gangs are the most prevalent conflict risk issue and accounts for 178 out of the absolute number of deaths by causes of violence in Udu LGA within the study period (see fig 2). This is followed by accidents caused by fire/explosion and oil distribution. Communal clashes caused by land issues also account for some of the absolute number of deaths by causes of violence in the area. Other causes identified by the Nigeria Watch database include natural disaster, political issues, as well as sorcery.
Figure 2: Causes of Violence-Related Death in Udu LGA (Nigeria Watch Database)
Crime: As shown in Figure 3 below, cult clashes were the most reported type of crime-related violence in the area and accounts for 81 of the absolute number of deaths by protagonists recorded by the Nigeria Watch Database between 2006 and 2023. In 2018, about 13 fatalities recorded in the local government were associated with clashes involving different cult groups. Similarly, in 2019, about 40 lives were lost in Ovwian community due to clashes between rival cults in the area. More recently, in December 2021, three persons were killed as a result of cult war in Orhuwhorun community in Udu LGA. Apart from these reported cases, there are several other unreported cases of violent deaths associated with cult activities in several communities in the area. For instance, according to one of the respondents, in 2022, two young men were killed in Ovwhase community due to the rivalry between their cult groups.
Figure 3: Absolute Number of Death by Protagonist in Udu LGA (Nigeria Watch Database)
Crime perpetuated by armed gangs such as robbers, unknown gunmen, and kidnappers constitute another major cause of violent death in Udu LGA between 2006 and 2023. In July 2022, attack from an unidentified gun man led to the death of a popular business man. On 30 December 2021, four deaths were recorded in Udu LGA when some unidentified gunmen shot a busy market in the process of escaping after an operation. In 2022, a man was stabbed to death in Ovwian community when he tried to defend someone being attacked by armed robbers in the community. There are also incidences of killings caused by clashes between security forces and armed robbers or kidnappers. For instance, in November 2013, after a prolonged shooting between the police and some robbers/kidnappers, four deaths were reported (3 robbers and 1 kidnapper). More recently, in January 2023, the four recorded deaths reported by the NW Database were caused by clashes between policemen and armed robbers.
Land Issues: Land issues resulting in inter-communal strife also represents one of the major causes of violence in the area during the study period. Notable among these is the constant conflict between Aladja community in Udu LGA and Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South-west LGA of Delta. The conflict between these two communities have led to the death of several persons as well as the destruction of properties. In October 2018, communal clashes between Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh resulted in the death of over 13 persons, with several others injured. Furthermore, in March 2020, a communal strife over land issues occurred between the Oghior and Ukpiovwin communities, resulting in the death of two persons.
Other Causes of Violence: Apart from crime and land issues, the NW database also recorded other causes of violence such as political issues, fire/explosion, oil distribution, sorcery, domestic violence, as well as different forms of accidents. For example, in 2007, twelve deaths were recorded after a shell gas pipeline explosion caused by illegal digging of oil in the SPDC Utorogu-Ughelli Pumping Station Condensate. That same year, political violence that occurred in Orhuwhorun road during the gubernatorial election led to the killing of the then PDP Chairman known popularly as Poge, alongside five other persons.
Hypothesis to explain the trends and patterns of some violent-related deaths in Udu LGA
From the data obtained from the NW database, it can be seen that since 2020, violence from communal clashes have reduced in Udu LGA. This may be due to the different interventions from government authorities as well as community leaders. For instance, in September 2022, a peace accord was signed by representatives from Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities. The NW data however showed an increase in crime-related violence, particularly cultist killings and armed robbery, with such incidences reported almost on a yearly basis. The reason for this can be attributed to the fact that cultism has become a normal practice among youths in the community, with some of such attacks seen as an initiation ritual as well as a mean to show their superiority to other cult groups. Furthermore, once a member of a particular cult has an issue with a member of another cult, it often spirals and turn into a cult war, leading to fighting and killing that lingers on, and even affect innocent parties. For instance, in 2021, there was the case of a young man in Orhuwhorun road who was butchered to death when some cult guys came to his house in search of his brother who is a member of a rival cult. Additionally, the increase rate of armed robbery in the region can be attributed to the rising rate of poverty and unemployment among young people in the state. There is also the quest for quick wealth by most youths, forcing them to choose yahoo, armed robbery, or kidnapping. Between 2006 and 2023, there were only four cases of sorcery/ritual killings recorded in Udu LGA. The reason for this low reportage is likely due to the fact that most of these cases largely go unnoticed and often end up becoming the case of “missing person”.
Conclusion
The findings from the study revealed that most of the violence reported during the study period were associated with different forms of criminalities. The major trends and patterns of violence in the area entail the occasional cult clashes/killings, as well as clashes between armed gangs or kidnappers and security forces; and armed gangs or kidnappers and civilians. From information gathered from the various respondents interviewed, we can infer that that poverty, unemployment, resource agitations and its associated stressors constitute some of the salient drivers of violence in the region. This can also be attributed to the high rate of illiteracy in the area, with most of the indigenes have little or no value for higher education or formal employment.
Overall, from the NW database, it appears that there was a decline in violence in the region in 2022 as compared to other years. This may be due to the lack of media coverage of some of the violent deaths that occurred in the region during the period, especially when such cases do not involve prominent members of the society.
References
Trends of Violence: Udu LGA of Delta State. Retrieved on 15/03/2023 from https://www.nigeriawatch.org/index.php?urlaction=evtListe&page=-INF