Muhammadu Buhari Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Security issues === ==== Niger Delta ==== Nigeria has the second-largest reserves of crude oil in Africa, reserves largely found in the Niger Delta region of the country. Years of oil production have resulted negative impact on farming and fishery by oil spillage.<ref name="hyrep222">{{Cite journal|date=13 September 2019|title=The oil clean-up that didn't?|url=https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12746/The_oil_clean-up_that_didn%27t|language=en|journal=|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023154231/https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12746/The_oil_clean-up_that_didn%27t|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|date=13 September 2019|title=The oil clean-up that didn't?|url=https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12746/The_oil_clean-up_that_didn%27t|journal=Africa Confidential|language=en|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023154231/https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12746/The_oil_clean-up_that_didn%27t|url-status=live}}</ref> The government initiated Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to help clean up [[Ogoni people|Ogoniland]] while other state governors within the region want a similar setup. HYPREP was initiated in 2005 but has been slow to commence remediation works in Ogoniland.<ref name="hyrep222" /> Nonetheless, there are still intermittent attacks on oil facilities by groups such as the [[Niger Delta Avengers]]. This has significantly affected oil production leading to cuts in exports and government revenue.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21701124-nigerias-turbulent-oilfields-cannot-be-pacified-bribing-rebels-danegeld-delta|title=Danegeld in the Delta; The Niger Delta Avengers|date=25 June 2016|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=5 September 2017|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624110234/http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21701124-nigerias-turbulent-oilfields-cannot-be-pacified-bribing-rebels-danegeld-delta|url-status=live}}</ref> The Avengers are waging conflict for greater economic and political autonomy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niger Delta Groups Deny Militants Have Ties To Political 'Looters', Call For Autonomy In Delta Area {{!}} Sahara Reporters |url=https://saharareporters.com/2016/09/26/niger-delta-groups-deny-militants-have-ties-political-%E2%80%98looters%E2%80%99-call-autonomy-delta-area |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=saharareporters.com}}</ref> ==== Shia Muslims ==== The [[Islamic Movement (Nigeria)|Islamic Movement of Nigeria]] led by Sheikh [[Ibrahim Zakzaky]] is one of the country's leading organization of Shia Muslims. Nigeria's Muslim population is mainly Sunni while the Shia population have gone through sporadic persecution by governments.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22">{{Cite journal|date=2 July 2016|title=Nigeria's security under Buhari|journal=Strategic Comments|volume=22|issue=6|pages=iii–v|doi=10.1080/13567888.2016.1229389|s2cid=219693136}}</ref> After the Islamic movement was accused of an attack against Chief of Army Staff [[Tukur Yusuf Buratai|Tukur Buratai]] in December 2015, Zakzaky's base was shelled causing hundreds of fatalities while Zakzaky was arrested.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22"/> Zakzaky was held for almost six years, aside from a three-day medical trip to India, until being acquitted and released in July 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nigerian court acquits Shia leader el-Zakzaky of all charges |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/29/nigerian-court-acquits-shia-leader-ibrahim-zakzaky-of-all-charges |website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831180733/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/29/nigerian-court-acquits-shia-leader-ibrahim-zakzaky-of-all-charges |url-status=live }}</ref> ====Biafra separatists ==== {{see also|Igbo nationalism|Biafra|Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria}} A separatist group, the [[Indigenous People of Biafra]] and led by [[Nnamdi Kanu]] became high profile in 2015 for advocating independence for a separate nation of [[Biafra]].<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22"/> A breakaway Biafra republic was briefly formed during Nigeria's Civil War. In October 2015, Kanu was arrested on allegation of treason, his arrest was followed by protests against his detention across many Southeastern states.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22"/> Kanu later jumped bail and fled abroad to help lead the low-level [[insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria]] before being arrested by [[Interpol]] and brought back to Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oyero |first=Ezekiel |date=29 June 2021 |title=UPDATED: Nnamdi Kanu re-arrested, returned to Nigeria – Malami |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/470566-updated-nnamdi-kanu-re-arrested-returned-to-nigeria-malami.html |access-date=10 November 2022 |website=Premium Times Nigeria |language=en-GB}}</ref> ==== Boko Haram ==== {{main|Boko Haram|Boko Haram insurgency}} Since 2015, the fight against the extremists has taken a new dimension, internally the groups have splintered into the traditional Boko Haram sect controlled by [[Abubakar Shekau]] and the [[ISWAP|Islamic State in West Africa Province]] controlled by [[Abu Musab al-Barnawi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/boko-harams-factional-feud|title=Boko Haram's Factional Feud|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705033956/https://www.cfr.org/blog/boko-harams-factional-feud|url-status=live}}</ref> Other groups supported by [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] such as [[Ansaru]], who were driven from Mali due to the French-led [[Operation Serval]] have surfaced and co-operated with Boko Haram despite being its rival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-ansaru-claim-attack-mali-bound-nigeria-troops-153819155.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202022322/http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-ansaru-claim-attack-mali-bound-nigeria-troops-153819155.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2013|title=Islamists Ansaru claim attack on Mali-bound Nigeria troops: paper - Yahoo! News|date=2 February 2013|access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref> This was mostly out of necessity, as the two factions could not risk to weaken themselves by fighting each other.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-ansaru-nigerias-other-militant-group-443785|title=What is the other militant Islamist group in Nigeria besides Boko Haram?|first=Conor|last=Gaffey|date=4 April 2016|website=Newsweek|language=en|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612204916/https://www.newsweek.com/what-ansaru-nigerias-other-militant-group-443785|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2020, over two hundred and fifty Ansaru members were killed in a police raid in [[Birnin Gwari]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/police-storm-ansaru-terrorists-camp-neautralise-250-terrorists-bandits/|title=Police storm ANSARU terrorists' camp, neautralise 250 terrorists, bandits|date=5 February 2020|website=Vanguard News|language=en-US|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207180336/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/police-storm-ansaru-terrorists-camp-neautralise-250-terrorists-bandits/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2016, the government negotiated a deal with the terrorist group, Boko Haram which secured the release of 21 [[Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping|Chibok girls]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Porter|first=Steven|title=Schoolgirl hostage found almost three years after Boko Haram capture|date=5 January 2017|newspaper=Christian Science Monitor|location=Boston}}</ref> By December 2016, the government had recovered much of the territories previously held by Boko Haram and after the capture of [[Sambisa Forest]], Buhari announced that Boko Haram has been technically defeated. The insurgency displaced about 2 million people from their homes and the recapture of the towns now present humanitarian challenges in health, education and nutrition.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fick|first=Maggie|title=Boko Haram leaves traumatic legacy|date=28 November 2016|newspaper=Financial Times}}</ref> On 6 May 2017, Buhari's government secured a further release of 82 out of 276 girls kidnapped in 2014, in exchange of five Boko Haram leaders.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-security-idUSKBN1820P1|title=Nigeria exchanges 82 Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram for prisoners|date=7 May 2017|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=7 May 2017|archive-date=7 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507001419/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-security-idUSKBN1820P1|url-status=live}}</ref> On 7 May 2017, President Buhari met with the 82 released Chibok girls, before departing to London, UK, for a follow-up treatment for an undisclosed illness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/05/08/buhari-departs-for-london-after-receiving-chibok-girls/|title=Buhari Departs for London After Receiving Chibok Girls|date=8 May 2017|access-date=7 June 2017|archive-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510043054/https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/05/08/buhari-departs-for-london-after-receiving-chibok-girls/|url-status=live}}</ref> Shekau committed suicide after his grouping was [[Battle of Sambisa Forest (2021)|encircled]] by ISWAP rivals in May 2021. In the following months, hundreds of "repentant" terrorists surrendered to the government, many likely loyal to Shekau.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Maclean |first1=Ruth |last2=Alfa |first2=Ismail |date=23 September 2021 |title=Thousands of Boko Haram Members Surrendered. They Moved In Next Door. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/world/africa/boko-haram-surrender.html |access-date=17 June 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ==== Herder–farmer violence ==== {{main|Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria}} {{see also|Communal conflicts in Nigeria}} The [[Middle Belt]] region of Nigeria has been vulnerable to clashes between farmers and cattle herders, two groups trying to secure arable land for grazing or farming and access to water.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22" /> The intensity and politicization of the conflict along ethnic and religious divide increased during the administration of Buhari as instances of conflicts flared in parts of Southern Nigeria.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22" /> About 300 civilians were killed in a village in [[Benue State]], Middle-Belt of the country and about 40 civilians were killed in Enugu in Southeastern Nigeria.<ref name="{{Cite journal}}...22" /> The violence has displaced upwards of 250,000 villagers<ref name="iss162">{{Cite journal|date=9 August 2019|title=High risks, low politics|url=https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12716/High_risks%2c_low_politics|journal=Africa Confidential|language=en|volume=60|issue=16|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023154230/https://www.africa-confidential.com/article-preview/id/12716/High_risks,_low_politics|url-status=live}}</ref> who migrate to cities ill-prepared to handle the influx of migrants. The conflict between farmers many of whom are largely Christians and herders who are predominantly Muslims has stoked religious tension not helped when the president sent in military troops disarm ethnic Christian militias while critics allege of his lukewarm towards armed cattle herders.<ref name="iss162" /> The administration's effort to solve the conflict led to the National Livestock Transformation Plan to modernise cattle grazing and stabilize the Middle Belt region.<ref name="iss162" /> In 2017, RUGA, an acronym for Rural Grazing Area but also a word meaning settlement in Fulani was a proposed solution that came from deliberations of the transformation plan.<ref name="iss162" /> RUGA was to set aside grazing areas for herders as they migrate south, however, many Southern states opposed any involuntary acquisition of land for RUGA and the plan was suspended<ref name="iss162" /> ==== Banditry in Northern Nigeria ==== Since 2015, the Buhari Administration has suffered with an increased spate of banditry-related activities in [[Northern Nigeria]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://punchng.com/banditry-in-nigeria-a-brief-history-of-a-long-war/|title=Banditry in Nigeria: A brief history of a long war|website=Punch Newspapers|date=27 December 2018|language=en-US|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612225859/https://punchng.com/banditry-in-nigeria-a-brief-history-of-a-long-war/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Abuja]]-[[Kaduna]] highway has been termed the "highway of kidnapping", due to the rampant atrocities committed by bandits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/abuja-kaduna-highway-of-kidnapping.html|title=Abuja-Kaduna Highway of Kidnapping|date=16 July 2017|website=Daily Trust|language=en-GB|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612184411/https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/abuja-kaduna-highway-of-kidnapping.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2020, the Northern Elders Forum, a socio-political organisation, said the administration has failed Nigerians in terms of security.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://punchng.com/buhari-has-failed-nigerians-say-northern-elders/|title=ICYMI: Buhari has failed Nigerians, say northern elders|website=Punch Newspapers|date=10 February 2020|language=en-US|access-date=14 February 2020|archive-date=14 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214150117/https://punchng.com/buhari-has-failed-nigerians-say-northern-elders/|url-status=live}}</ref> By July 2021, about 45 people a day were kidnapped, largely by bandits for ransom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigerians Are Being Kidnapped For Ransom — But This Time It's Not Boko Haram |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/14/1016093356/nigerians-are-being-kidnapped-for-ransom-but-this-time-its-not-boko-haram |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901174708/https://www.npr.org/2021/07/14/1016093356/nigerians-are-being-kidnapped-for-ransom-but-this-time-its-not-boko-haram |url-status=live }}</ref> Other bandits focused on stealing cattle, [[camel]]s, and other livestock while some groups attacked and seized control of entire villages and wider territories. The banditry lead to fears of collaboration between bandits and Northeastern terrorists with those fears being confirmed in August 2021 when the [[Nigeria Immigration Service]] reported that large groups of [[Zamfara State|Zamfara]]-based bandits were traveling to [[Borno State]] for training from [[Boko Haram]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-29 |title='Bandits travelling from Zamfara to Borno for terrorist training' |url=https://punchng.com/bandits-travelling-from-zamfara-to-borno-for-terrorist-training/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). 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