SOCIAL COST OF GROUP CONFLICTS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT IN PLATEAU AND NASARAWA STATES, NIGERIA, 1994 - 2011

Abstract

Group conflicts and their attendant social costs bordering on living conditions and rights violation are prominent challenges in heterogeneous societies. Attempts at managing these costs as part of conflict transformation have been problematic in Nigeria. Existing studies in conflict management have largely focused on conflict termination, while conflict costs have been given little attention. This study, therefore, investigated the social cost of group conflicts in Plateau and Nasarawa states and their management from 1994 to 2011. Human needs and systems theories were used as analytical tools, while case study design was adopted. Primary and secondary data were collected. Nine focus group discussions were held: six in Jos with the Afizere and the Igbo/Yoruba as clusters, and three in Toto with the Bassa as a cluster. Twenty nine in-depth interviews were conducted with six ethnic group leaders, two traditional rulers, two market leaders, 10 secondary school principals and nine primary school heads in Jos and Toto. Secondary data included the peace policy documents, journals and periodicals. Data were content analysed. The dwindling income of households in Jos and Toto was traced to the destruction of income generating infrastructures such as markets between 1994 – 2010 (Katoko, Bassa, Farin gada, Dilimi, Filing ball, Bukuru and Kwarafa, Ugya and Jos modern market); farms in Toto (Andafwo/Ugya in 1997 - 1998) and Jos (Riyom, Barkin ladi, Bassa, Bukuru and Dogo na Hauwa, 2003 - 2011). Food insecurity in Jos and Toto was also a consequence of these protracted conflicts and sub conflicts such as between Bassa farmers and Fulani herders (1997 – 2011) and Berom farmers and Fulani herders (2003 – 2011) in farming communities like Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bukuru and Dogo na Hauwa, which led to the desertion of ancestral farming lands by the Afizere and Berom in Dutse Uku, Tina junction and Andafwo; and cattle rustling in Jos. Other costs included breaching of human rights (financial and sexual exploitation, domestic interference, extra-judicial killings, selective security provision and aiding of crime) by security agents. The costs on basic education included: increased number of school dropouts, death of teachers and students, destruction of learning infrastructures, disruption of calendars and disillusionment of students. Destroyed schools had been rebuilt except one in Toto. There had been interventions at the farming villages by the Special Joint Task Force and vigilantes but this had not fully addressed the security issues. The National Human Rights Commission indicated interest in addressing human rights violations in Jos but had not commenced. The management approaches included: deployment of security agents and distributions of relief materials during emergencies; others like payment of financial compensation, rebuilding of schools, interventions in the farms and rebuilding of income infrastructures were done arbitrarily without a policy framework. Group conflicts created enormous social costs in Plateau and Nasarawa states. Governments’ management of these conflicts contained the violence but lacked coordination in addressing the consequent social costs. Conflict cost management body and framework are required to work with impacted communities. Keywords: Social cost, Government intervention, Conflict management, Human rights abuse, Group conflicts Word Count: 495