US embassy cable - 02ABUJA2932

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002932 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2012 
TAGS: PREL, CASC, PGOV, SOCI, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: VIOLENCE FLARES AGAIN IN JOS; PART OF A 
CONTINUING TREND IN PLATEAU STATE. 
 
REF: ABUJA 2809 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER. REASONS 1.5 (B) AND 
(D). 
 
 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Communal violence continued to plague parts 
of Plateau State, including areas of the capital Jos. Initial 
reports from Amcits resident there indicated spill-over 
violence in Jos after at least 10 were killed in the nearby 
village of Maza. Military troops have restored order to the 
area but the atmosphere remains tense and violence can 
rekindle quickly.  According to our sources, no Amcits have 
been injured or even involved in the violence. End Summary. 
 
 
--------------- 
Recent Violence 
--------------- 
 
 
2. (SBU) The morning of October 23, Post received reports of 
violence in Jos from Amcits living in the city. Apparently, 
fighting had broken out in Maza village, northeast of Jos. 
According to media reports the village was "attacked" during 
the night of October 22. The attackers were reported to be 
armed with automatic weapons and bows with poison arrows. 
Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State ordered security 
forces to use lethal force in order to quell the violence. It 
took security forces 2 hours to subdue the attackers. 
Newspapers report that 88 suspects, mostly Fulani and some 
foreigners were arrested. Gabriel Makan, personal assistant 
to the governor, blamed foreign "mercenaries" for other 
recent attacks in Plateau State.  There is some speculation 
that Nigerien and Chadian outlaws have participated. 
 
 
3.(U) Comment: For many years criminal bands comprised of 
Nigerian, Chadian and Nigerien elements have operated in 
Northern Nigeria, particularly in the corridor encompassing 
Borno, Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe States.  At times these bands 
have struck in Plateau State.  If reports of criminal 
participation in these acts are true it seems that their 
presence in Plateau is much more pronounced than in the past. 
 Part of the reason may be they have had to expand their 
circle of operation due to diminishing returns elsewhere. 
However, some of the information received indicates that 
feuding ethnic groups and villages may be hiring these 
outlaws in hopes of gaining the upper hand against their 
rivals.  The injection of these criminals will make local 
disputes more violent and harder to contain. End Comment.) 
 
 
4. (U) Both media and Amcits reported that when the victims' 
bodies were transported from Maza to Jos, people became upset 
when they saw the dead. Their agitation sparked a disturbance 
in Jos itself, which was quickly subdued by security forces. 
Another report indicated that the turmoil was also linked to 
street-side traders being forced to move some of their 
make-shift business locations. Gabriel Makan reported similar 
action by the State Government had led to rioting earlier 
this month. 
 
 
5. (SBU) Amcit heard reports of trucks loaded with troops 
entering the affected areas in Jos, followed by reports that 
fighting had stopped. The situation, however, remained tense. 
Amcit also reported that there was significantly reduced 
vehicular traffic in Jos, even during the normal rush hour. 
Unconfirmed reports claimed that schools had been closed. 
 
 
6. (U) At approximately 9:00 AM October 23 the Plateau State 
Governor, Joshua Dariye, reported via State radio that there 
had been an attack on a village near Jos and that 3 people 
had been killed, but the situation was under control. (Note: 
Media reports now claim 10 were killed; underreporting of 
casualties by state officials is common. End Note.) He 
further stated "there is reasonable peace" in the city of Jos 
and that there was no need for panic.  The Governor repeated 
a similar message every 10 minutes, appealing for calm. By 
11:00 a.m. Amcit reported that there was still little traffic 
on the road, but he heard or saw no further evidence of 
violence. 
 
 
 
 
-------------------------- 
Background to the Crisis 
-------------------------- 
 
 
7. (U) The October 23 report is the most recent in a series 
of violent incidents that have flared in Plateau State. 
 
 
8. (SBU) On October 2 in Jos, Conoff observed a row of medium 
sized Nigerian Army tents pitched along the roadside of the 
border between Christian and Muslim sections of town. Each 
tent appeared to house 8-12 Nigerian Army soldiers who were 
in full combat uniform and armed with AK-47 assault rifles. 
 
 
9. (C) Gabriel Makan reported that many of the outbreaks 
could be traced to competing claims over cattle herds and 
land. Several outbreaks of violence have occurred when 
herders attempted to reclaim cattle. If the herder could not 
find his own animals, he would take a corresponding number 
from another herd.  The wronged owner would retaliate and 
violence would begin again. Perhaps more worrisome, Makan 
indicated that several attacks have been carried out by 
Muslim Fulani raiders on non-Muslim villages.  While these 
attacks were probably due to competition over local 
resources, the identities of the rural groups lends both 
ethnic and religious overtones to the violence.  Makan 
claimed that several raiders had been apprehended and killed. 
 The Plateau State Government claimed these raiders were 
mercenaries from outside Plateau State, with some coming from 
Chad and Niger. 
 
 
 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
10. (SBU) Order has been established after the latest 
violence but many Plateau residents fear the calm is tenuous 
and dependent on visible military deployments in the troubled 
areas.  The unfortunate confluence of divergent ethnic groups 
and the competition for land and livestock inherent at the 
level of subsistence farming that is common throughout much 
of Plateau State, indicates the eruption of communal violence 
will continue to be one of the State's major challenges in 
the near term. 
 
 
11. (SBU) While Plateau State may not be able to end the 
outbreaks, it must do its best to contain them.  By deploying 
strong and adequate law enforcement and working with 
community leaders, the Plateau State Government should be 
able to minimize the participation of criminal bands lest 
violence in Plateau escalate again to the levels we have 
witnessed in the recent past. 
 
 
JETER