Mass Killings: 5 of the deadliest massacres in Nigerian history

School shootings in the United States may be troubling and strange, but even here, thousands have been killed for money, power and religion.

As a nation with contradicting values,  and ever-present tribal, religious and political tensions, Nigeria has witnessed its share of violence throughout its history; in the form of riots, war and in many of these cases, mass killings.

Events only ever hold relevance beyond a particular period for Nigerians. The effect of this is that we tend to forget some of the darkest periods of our history.

It is not out of a desire to push the past into the abyss, at least not on the part of the masses. It is mostly caused by an innocent lack of information.

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It is why when we hear reports of mass murder, like Nikolas Cruz’ murder of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in the US state of Miami, we are often shocked.

 

It is so easy to overlook when one does not know that this is a reality that we have lived, albeit in a different form, in the past, and more recently that we would permit ourselves to admit.

Here are 5 of the deadliest mass killings in Nigerian history, for those who wish to remember that death has always been a part of our history.

1. Odi Massacre: (Death Toll: 43–2,500)

On November 20, 1999, soldiers of the Nigerian army clashed with local militias and civilians in Odi, a town with a predominantly Ijaw population, in Bayelsa State.

The clash came against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts by the people of the Niger-Delta and their rights to the proceeds of their region’s oil wealth.

In the weeks before, the conflict had taken on a fatal dimension; twelve members of the Nigerian police were murdered by a gang near Odi, seven on November 4 and the remainder in the following days.

To quell the conflict, soldiers were sent into the town. It is from here that the accounts of what happened swerve in different directions.

 

The locals claim that the soldiers came into the town and murdered the inhabitants, including hundreds of women and children.

The army claims that the soldiers were ambushed on their way to the town.

Either way, on entering the town, they became locked in a fierce gun battle with the resident militants. There are claims that the militants used civilians for cover.

When the army was finished, every building in the town, except the Anglican church and the local health centre, had been burned to the ground.

The government put the death toll at 43, claiming that eight soldiers had been killed. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action, claims that nearly 2500 civilians were killed.

The massacre happened during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo and till this day, the people of the South-South accuse him of ordering the raid.

The Odi massacre left a scar on the residents of that region, and it has been referenced in movies and songs by Timaya and African China.

2. 2001 Jos Riots: (Death Toll: over 1,000 people)

Religious relations in the city of Jos have always been in a delicate state, between the predominantly-Muslim north and the south, with a majority Christian position.

Due to these clear distinction in geography and demography, the population on either side is fairly unreceptive towards foreigners who come to take jobs, settle or occupy major positions.

In 2001, the Federal Government appointed a Hausa Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed as the local head of the Poverty Alleviation Programme.

The move was protested by the local Christian population, raising already present tensions to a fever pitch.

The spark that was missing came when a Christian woman attempted to cross a street barricaded for Friday prayers, leading to a dispute with the Muslims. The flame was ignited and the fight eventually spread to other areas of the city.

Throughout Jos, the violence quickly became intense. Humans and property were set on fire. Persons of either religion attacked places of worship and set them on fire, killing worshippers. After over a week of murder and destruction, the army stepped in.

By then, over 1,000 people had been killed. The number of bodies was so much that mass burials had to be arranged.’

The riots displaced over 50,000 people.

3. The 2015 Baga Massacre: (Death Toll: 2,000 - 5,000)

For years now, Nigeria’s North-East has become the theatre for a spate of terrorism and insurgency at the hands of the deadly Islamic militant group, Boko Haram.

In 2015, the group launched an attack on the town of Baga in Born State, that left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

On the 3rd of January, a large army of Boko Haram militants ran into Baga and launched an attack on the Nigerian Army Base in the town.

The Army Base in Baga was the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force, an international force of soldiers from Nigeria, Niger and Chad which was formed in 1994 to manage security in the border areas and as a matter of necessity, combat the menace of Boko Haram.

 

The group quickly overran the army base and the MNJTF task force headquarters, before setting into the main town and about 16 neighbouring villages.

That attack lasted for four days. Soldiers fled after struggling to combat the militants. According to reports of those who fled the town, the group began to burn houses and kill survivors after a few days.

On 9 January, a resident described the extent of the damage by reporting, “There is not any single house that is standing there.”

According to Musa Bukar, head of the Kukawa Local Government Area, all 16 villages in the LGA were razed as well, and their residents either killed or forced to flee.

Estimates state a death toll of over 2000 people over the four days. Over 35,000 people are reported to have been displaced. Many of these died of drowning while trying to cross Lake Chad. Others became trapped on islands in the lake.

4. The Asaba Massacre: (Death Toll: Over 700 men and boys)

As Fu’ad Lawal writes, Asaba will never forget the events of one of the deadliest days of the Nigerian Civil War.

Three months after the first gunshot had signified the start of the Nigerian civil war, Biafran troops marched into Nigeria’s midwest region as they advanced towards Lagos.

After reaching as far as Ore, they were repelled by forces under the command of Col. Murtala Mohammed.

The Biafran troops marched back to Onitsha in the Eastern heartland, after which they demolished the Niger Bridge, leaving the Nigerian Army stranded on the other side in Asaba.

 

Aggrieved by this abrupt end to their march, the Nigerian soldiers went into Asaba and began checking through homes, accusing the people of sympathising with Biafra.

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In a bid to quell the tensions, the leaders of the town asked the people to come out in a show of support for One Nigeria.

Hundreds of men, women, and children, many wearing the ceremonial akwa ocha (white) attire paraded along the main street, singing, dancing, and chanting “One Nigeria.”

It did nothing to placate the Nigerian Army. The people were gathered in an open square, men were separated from the women and over 700 boys and men were shot dead.

5. The Kaduna Sharia Riots: (Death Toll: 2000 - 5000)

By now, you may have noticed that ethnic and religious tensions have been the catalysts for some of the deadliest mass killings in Nigerian history.

The 2000 Kaduna Riots were instigated by the introduction of Sharia law, and among many such instances, they will go down in a dark place in Nigerian history.

Kaduna State is located in the Muslim-majority north, however, in areas like Southern Kaduna, there is a large Christian population. Cumulatively, non-Muslims make up about half of the population.

In February 2000, Kaduna's Governor Ahmed Maikarfi announced the introduction of sharia to Kaduna State.

In response, the Kaduna branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organised a public protest against it in Kaduna City.

 

Muslim youth, possibly perceiving it as an affront to their religion, clashed with the protesters. And so began, a campaign of violence and destruction.

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The riots happened in two waves; (sometimes referred to as “Sharia 1” and “Sharia 2”): a first wave from 21 to 25 February, with further killings in March, followed by a second wave from 22 to 23 May. The initial violence left more than 1,000 people dead.

When it became clear that the police could not handle the violence, the army stepped in to intervene.

A judicial commission set up by the Kaduna state government reported the official death toll to be 1,295. However, Human Rights Watch estimated the total number to be much higher.

Fatalities, including those from March and May and many from February which the commission had not counted, were estimated to be much higher, somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000.

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