This edition of the weekly update spotlights the herder-farmer conflict in the Niger Delta with a focus on the criminal aspects of the conflict in Ondo State. According to data (see map above), the herder-farmer conflict caused over 100 fatalities in Ondo State between January 2020 and December 2022. Recent incidents indicate a rise in communal tensions as the conflict is becoming increasingly intertwined with organized criminal violence including kidnapping for ransom and armed banditry. In February 2023, for instance, six residents including farmers and traders were reportedly killed and over 30 hectares of farmland destroyed during clashes between herders and farmers in Arimogija, Molege, and Ute communities in Ose LGA. In March, bandits reportedly abducted a 19-year old girl from her residence in Imoru community, Ose LGA. Recently, on March 24, 2023, three residents were reportedly kidnapped by suspected armed herdsmen in Ayede-Ogbese community in Akure North LGA. The incident triggered a series of protests by residents in Uso and Ayede-Ogbese communities in Owo and Akure North LGAs respectively.
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