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RUEHCD/AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ 0203
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 6495
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ABUJA 000630 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM NI ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: A SUMMARY OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE 
 
ABUJA 00000630  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Political violence has increased over the past 
several months and many fear this trend will only worsen 
before the April elections.  The driving force is a desire to 
capture power and control of state resources at all costs. 
Nigeria,s rampant corruption and patronage-based system 
support a winner-take-all attitude with no room for 
opposition or defeat.  Increased oil revenues have only 
served to raise the stakes and the lesson of 2003 that the 
road to victory is through violence and rigging has been 
learned well by all parties.  Violence occurs at federal, 
state and local levels, as well as within political parties. 
Incumbents use state resources such as the police or arm 
groups of &thugs8 to disrupt opposition campaign activities 
while opposition groups deploy their own arsenals to confront 
the ruling party by any means necessary.  Most cases of 
electoral violence are never fully investigated or prosecuted. 
 
¶2. (SBU) COMMENT.  There is little discussion of what happens 
to these armed groups when the elections are over and they 
are no longer needed by their political godfathers.  Nowhere 
has this played out more clearly than in the fragile Niger 
Delta region, where militias armed to carry out political 
violence in the lead up to the 2003 elections have moved on 
to economic violence and sabotage aimed at critical oil and 
gas infrastructure and more recently to kidnapping of foreign 
oil workers.  END COMMENT. 
 
------------------------------------- 
RECENT POLITICALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Statistics on political violence are difficult at 
best.  Even NGO groups within Nigeria cannot agree on what 
constitutes political violence and, hence, how many such 
incidents have occurred recently.  The NGO Nigerian Alliance 
for Peaceful Elections (NAPE) maintains it has recorded 77 
cases (51 confirmed) of kidnapping, killings and clashes of 
supporters in Bayelsa, Bauchi, Benue, Rivers and Delta 
States.  The South Africa-based Institute for Democracy 
recently claimed at a workshop in Abuja that as many as 280 
people have been killed in Nigeria over the last 2 months. 
Below is a list of recent incidents compiled by Post, dating 
back to December 2006.  Not all incidents have been 
confirmed.  Most, but not all, were reported in the press. 
 
March 23, 2007 
 
A group of youths threw stones at PDP presidential candidate 
Umaru Yar'Adua's campaign team motorcade at an intersection 
in Zaria, shouting "We don't want you."  Yar'Adua was forced 
to cancel his courtesy call on the Emir of Zaria and instead 
proceeded directly to his next campaign stop in Kano. 
Several vehicles were damaged.  No injuries were reported. 
 
March 21, 2007 
 
Ekiyor Welson, Chief Press Secretary to Bayelsa State 
Governor and PDP Vice Presidential candidate Goodluck 
Jonathan, allegedly ordered security agents to shoot news 
correspondent George Oraeki for writing a story on how State 
funds were diverted to the Yar,Adua/Goodluck campaign.  The 
security agents refused and Oraeki was released unharmed. 
 
March 20, 2007 
 
DPP supporters in Gombe stormed a Magistrate Court with 
knives, machetes and guns, forcibly freeing DPP gubernatorial 
candidate Abubakar Habu Hashidu and wounding the presiding 
judge.  Hashidu was arrested on March 18 (see below). 
 
March 19, 2007 
 
An AC leader in Edo State was seriously beaten and three 
others injured by suspected PDP thugs for organizing a rally 
in support of LP gubernatorial candidate Adams Oshiomhole. 
 
 
March 18, 2007 
 
A clash between PDP and AC supporters left ten dead and 30 
 
ABUJA 00000630  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
homes burned in Benue State. 
 
Police arrested Gombe State DPP gubernatorial candidate and 
former state governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu and 14 supporters 
for allegedly inciting a riot in Gombe.  Hashidu and his 
supporters maintain they were defending themselves against an 
attack by a group calling itself Yan Kalare (NOTE:  Yan 
Kalare is widely believed to be a PDP-supported group). 
 
The convoy of former minister and Labor Party candidate 
Olusegun Mimiko was ambushed in Ondo state.  There were no 
injuries, but several cars were damaged.  Mimiko and his 
supporters blame PDP Governor Segun Agagu. 
 
March 17, 2007 
 
The motorcade carrying Hajiya Maimuna Aliero, wife of PDP 
Governor Adamu Aliero of Kebbi State, was attacked by thugs 
while campaigning in the Zuru local government area of the 
state.  No injuries were reported. 
 
March 15, 2007 
 
ANPP Senatorial candidate Haijiya Halima Alfa was attacked 
near Ankpa, Kogi State by a group of thugs.  Two ANPP 
supporters were reportedly killed and four others injured. 
 
March 11, 2007 
 
Gunmen attacked an AC rally in Lagos State.  Two people were 
reportedly killed.  (NOTE: This report remains unconfirmed.) 
 
March 10, 2007 
 
Groups affiliated with the PDP and DPP went on a 48-hour 
vandalism spree in Sokoto, razing party offices and 
destroying vehicles belonging to both parties.  Several 
injuries were reported.  Police responded by banning all 
political rallies in the state. 
 
At least 4 people died and others were critically injured 
when fighting broke out between PDP and ANPP supporters 
Abeokuta, Ogun State (the home town of President Obasanjo). 
The clash allegedly started when PDP supporters stopped the 
movement of ANPP vehicles.  Several vehicles belonging to 
ANPP supporters were destroyed.  Later, ANPP gubernatorial 
flag bearer Senator Ibikunle Amosun was arrested and detained 
for inciting the violence. 
 
At least two people died and an unknown number were injured 
when thugs carrying PDP placards attacked supporters of ANPP 
candidate Buhari in Enugu.  According to one eyewitness, at 
least ten cars were destroyed and the thugs, with police 
standing watch, continued firing weapons into the house of a 
Buhari organizer where members of the group had taken refuge 
for over an hour. 
 
March 6, 2007 
 
Taofiki Onigboho was assassinated by suspected thugs at his 
residence in Ibadan.  Onigboho is related to Sunday Igboho, a 
suspected thug of Governor Rasheed Ladoja who is wanted by 
police in connection with the February 3 Akure violence (see 
below). 
 
March 5, 2007 
 
A report from Gombe maintained there was a clash between PDP 
and ANPP supporters.  Another version claimed armed policemen 
attached to ANPP governorship candidate Jamilu Isiaku Gwamma 
allegedly opened fire on PDP supporters at Tumu, injuring 
Governor Danjuma Goje,s personal assistant. 
 
March 4, 2007 
 
Ten people were reportedly killed in several days of clashes 
between rival gangs in Port Harcourt.  The clashes are 
believed to be evidence of the groups jockeying for position 
ahead of the elections. 
 
 
ABUJA 00000630  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
February 12, 2007 
 
At least 35 people were killed during seven days of clashes 
in the Ogoni region of Rivers state where two of Governor 
Peter Odili's associates were fighting over political control 
of the area. 
 
February 5, 2007 
 
Gunmen attacked Vice President Atiku,s political associate 
and chairman of the AC Steering Committee, Dr. Yakubu 
Abdallah, in the United Kingdom.  Abdallah,s security guard 
and driver were killed. 
 
February 4, 2007 
 
Skirmishes occurred in Ogbomosho, Oyo State spreading to 
other parts of the town.  Fighting began when a Nigerian 
Union of Road and Transport Workers leader loyal to former 
governor Alao-Akala attacked supporters of Governor Ladoja. 
 
February 3, 2007 
 
Fighting broke out at a PDP rally in Akure, Oyo State between 
supporters of Governor Ladoja and his former deputy, 
Alao-Akala.  The rally, which was attended by President 
Obasanjo, confirmed Alao-Akala as the PDP gubernatorial 
candidate.  Two people were reportedly killed and several 
others injured. 
 
An ANPP party agent was killed in Iree, Osun State by 
suspected PDP thugs who allegedly removed ballot boxes and 
voters' lists during a bye-election for House of 
Representatives in Ward 9.  In Ward 10, two female INEC 
employees were stripped naked and beaten to a coma. 
 
The federal government deployed soldiers to Akure, Ondo State 
to quell a major fracas between supporters of PDP and Labor 
Party (LP).  Two people were reportedly killed. 
 
February 2, 2007 
 
PDP and PPA supporters attacked each other in Aba, Abia 
State.  Several injuries were reported and vehicles and 
property destroyed. 
 
PDP chieftain Lawson Onokpasa of Delta State was murdered at 
his residence by unknown gunmen. 
 
February 1, 2007 
 
Inspector General of Police Sunday Ehindero told the press 
that the Nigeria Police impounded 7 trailer-loads of arms and 
ammunition in Lagos suspected to have been smuggled into 
Nigeria by &desperate politicians.8 
 
January 18, 2007 
 
Two PDP supporters died following an intra-party clash in 
Asaba, Delta State.  The fighting occurred during a 
reconciliatory meeting of PDP stakeholders. 
 
January 6, 2007 
 
Suspected arson caused significant damage in the corporate 
headquarters of Thisday, a leading Nigerian newspaper. 
 
December 27, 2006 
 
Mr. Godwin Agbroko, editor and columnist of Thisday was 
gunned down in Lagos by unknown assassins on his way back 
from work.  Agbroko,s column was frequently critical of the 
administration. 
 
December 21, 2006 
 
Umar Pariya, an aide to Vice President Atiku, was attacked at 
his residence by suspected hired assassins.  His guard and 
domestic servant were injured; Pariya escaped injury. 
 
 
ABUJA 00000630  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
December 11, 2006 
 
Vice-Chair of Odiolowo/Ojuwoye Local Government of Lagos 
State escaped an assassination attempt.  The attempt followed 
a threat that he would be killed if he picked up the AC 
nomination for Lagos State House of Assembly. 
 
December 1, 2007 
 
A Council Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area and 
aspirant for the state House of Assembly of Benue State was 
murdered by unknown gunmen. 
CAMPBELL