CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS PHENOMENOM (A CASE STUDY OF NORTH EASTH NIGERIA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Internal displacement either as a result of conflict or natural disaster in Nigeria is a recurring and large-scale phenomenon. Most parts of the federation have been displaced either in a smaller scale or a larger scale. Internal displacement is a situation caused primarily by conflict, generalized violence, insurgencies, human right violations and natural disasters, whereby residents of the affected community are forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in neighboring communities or neighborhood. Studies reveals that Nigeria accounts for more than one million out of Africa’s nine million people internally displaced from their homes due to armed conflict and generalized violence that have plagued the country overtime especially in the north eastern part of the country.
The issue of displaced persons in recent time has been a global phenomenon and not just peculiar to Nigerian alone. The displacement across the globe is due to communal conflict, natural disaster, internal armed conflicts, border conflicts, ethno-religious conflicts and terrorist attacks. Irrespective of the cause of these displacements, this ugly phenomenon always leaves socioeconomic, political and physical assaults on millions of people worldwide, such as: susceptibility to security and physical threats, loss of lives and properties, loss of contact with children and family members, inadequate and insecure shelter, discrimination in aids distribution, psycho-social stress, sexual and gender-based violence. Other negative implications include loss of personal hygiene,
hampered access to health care, adequate food, water and sanitation, education, employment, lack of access to fundamental services, issue of housing, land and property, and unsafe or involuntary return, local integration or relocation (United Nations Human Rights, 2011). Becoming displaced within one’s own country does not confer special legal status in the same sense as does becoming a refugee. Internally displaced persons in Nigeria remain citizens and continue to be entitled to enjoy the rights available to the Nigerian population as a whole. However, because of their special situation, specific needs and the heightened vulnerability and trauma that results from the fact of being displaced, they are entitled to special protection and assistance (Muhammed, 2013).
Recent happenings in Nigeria show that internal displacement in Nigeria is not only caused by natural and human made disasters, ethno-religious-political conflicts, but mainly due to insurgency especially in the North-East geo political zone of the country. The most critical problem facing Nigeria in general and North-East in particular is insurgency. Insurgency has devastating consequences on economic, religious, political and social activities of the Nigerian state, especially in the state of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Niger, and some others. The activities of these insurgents have been damaging both physically and psychological and economically (Danjibo, 2009, Anifowose, 2012, Abide, 2012, Ilechukwu, 2014). In fact, the activities of Boko Haram in the
north eastern Nigeria have stimulated the other ethnic groups to embark on extra judicial adventures which can lead to anarchy and collapse of the state.
Also, through Boko Haram activities, foreign direct investment in Nigeria has decreased and Nigeria’s investment climate has also been declared risky and expatriates are weary of working in Nigeria due to the unsafe nature of the country. A serious source of concern however lies with internal displacement of persons (IDPS) arising as a result of insurgents invasion of North East geo-political zone in Nigeria. The invasion of insurgent group in the region started in form of socio-political group. In 2011 it took a different dimension, when Boko Haram as terrorist group appeared in the world map. From 2011 till date, the activities of this insurgent group have inflicted grave injuries and hardship to the lives and properties of people in the area and on the economy in general.
Thousands of lives and properties have been destroyed while many people have been displaced from their permanent homes. Boko Haram attacks have undermined public safety across the country especially in the North East Geo-political zone and scared it development. The attack includes daily killings, bombing, and destruction of schools, home and businesses. Also, many villages were annexed and declared “sovereign state” of Boko Haram territory (Daily Trust, 2014). About 3.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPS) exist in Nigeria out of which a regrettable 850,000 are from North Eastern Nigeria. This population approximately represents 10 percent and third of internally displaced persons in the world behind Syria (6.5 million) and Colombia (5.7 million), and highest population of conflict displaced persons in Africa (Premium Times, 2015). The increasing deadly attacks of the insurgents on various communities and the destruction of lives, properties, business and farm lands has forced many inhabitants’ to flee their homes to nearby towns and villages.
This situation called for government urgent intervention to usher in more sober responses to the plight of the internally displaced persons by creating the internally displaced camps so as to alleviate their sufferings.
