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Nigeria
Context
Clashes in Northern
Nigeria
Twelve states in the north
of country apply Sharia law as part of their criminal code, which in
practice establishes discrimination of women and inhuman
penalties that include  capital punishment like amputation or
stoning. Due to poor legal training of judges, absence of legal
representation of the accused as well as reliance on testimonies
submitted by torture, justice is often very disputable.Furthermore,
official
government policy in the state discriminates against "non-indigenes"
people that cannot trace their roots in the state.
The abuse of power by Nigerian security forces in places
where the security situation is tense is a severe problem. The federal government shows
little efforts in reforming the police or bringing the abusers of power to justice. On July 30 2009, the
police executed the leader of Boko Haram sect Mohamed Yusuf and his
father-in-law fortheir participation in the terrorist group. This
constitutes just part of a history of arbitrary killings by security
forces; in 1999 a whole town in Bayelsa state was destroyed, in 2001
more than 200 people were massacred in Benue state. In 2008, the
Christian-Muslim post-election clashes in Jos left more than 700
people dead, from which about 130 were reported as extra-judicial
killings perpetrated by the army.
Niger Delta
The oil-rich Niger Delta
region has witnessed on-going struggle for access to illegal
exploitation. The violence between rival gangs supported by corrupted
politicians as well as the army has cost several hundred lives
since the last clashes began and more than 500 oil workers have been kidnapped by militias. After a major offensive by
the army in 2009, the government's proposal of amnesty and cash
payouts to militants was accepted by most of the insurgents. However,
as in the case of a similar amnesty proposed in 2004, poor planning
and execution as well as political sponsorship of violence
undermines efforts to bring stability in the region. Environmental
degradation of the land adds to further despair of the local
population.
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Key Developments
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Islamist group Boko Haram (meaning "Western education is a sin")
aims to impose Sharia law as the Nigerian legal system increases
its violent attacks on civilians as well as the army. Most recently, on 26
August 2011, a bomb attack on the UN headquarters claimed more than two
dozen lives of the UN personnel.
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Widespread waves of ethnic and religious violence caused the state army
to be deployed in several provinces, replacing the role of local
police.
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In a major attack on Press Freedom, the Secret Security
Service together with the local police in Lagos arrested four senior
editors of The Nation newspaper.
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Media in Nigeria
Although media
widely criticize the government and provoke a robust debate over
sensitive issues, journalists still tend to be intimidated. In
April 2009 during local elections in Ekiti state, the government
party members detained and assaulted three journalists. In September
20, 2009, and April
2010, respectively, a
deputy political editor of The Guardian, Bayo
Ohu and Edo Ugbagwu, a journalist with The
Nation,
were shot dead in front of their houses. In Jos, two Christian
journalists were killed and a Muslim one was severely injured in
religious clashes in 2010. In general, journalists working on the
regional level experience much more harassment. Most recently, four
senior editors of The
Nation daily
were arbitrarily arrested in October 2011. On November 10, an editor
of the National
Accord newspaper
was detained in the same way.
In a hopeful development, blogging provides a safe ground for expression of concerns and dissatisfaction. Most Nigerian newspapers also have an internet version. However, due to low accessibility of internet (16% in 2009), traditional newspapers and limited television remain the main sources of information for most of the population.
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