The West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA-Nigeria) has said that more than 3,641 people were killed in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna and Zamfara States between January 2016 and October 2018.
The president of WAANSA, Mrs Josephine Habba disclosed this on Sunday at a press conference held in Makurdi.
She said that there were about 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.
Habba lamented that the figure represented the victims of violent clashes between herders and farmers.adding that about 2,000 of the dead were recorded in 2018 alone.
“The negative impact of poor control of arms in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized; more than 3,641 people were killed in Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Zamfara states between January 2016 and October 2018 due to violent clashes between herders and members of farmers communities.
“These clashes have been a fight to control and access resources including water, land and pasture.
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“Aside from deaths resulting from gun violence, hundreds of thousands of persons have been displaced internally.
“In Benue State alone 483,692 persons have been displaced, 56.24 per cent of the displaced population are children and 22.59 per cent are women, while 21.17 per cent are men.
“These statistics are based on the profiling of IDPs in Benue State carried out by Jireh Doo Foundation (JDF) in collaboration with Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) and Community Links. Sadly these killings are still ongoing.
“Within the same period in the North East, Boko Haram carried out at least more than 65 attacks causing 411 civilian deaths and abducted at least 73 people including women.
“There remain at least 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, 395 lived in camps or similar settings and 61 per cent in host communities. According to the UN, 5.2 million people in the northeast are in urgent need of food assistance; 450,000 children below the age of 5 are in urgent need of nutrition,” Habba said.
She, however, called on the Nigerian government to protect the lives and property of its citizens.
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