Nigeria: Herders kill four police officers in Adamawa Nov. 30 /update 1

Event

Cattle herders killed four police officers who were defending a village in Adamawa state on Thursday, November 30, according to a Nigerian police statement issued Friday. It is yet unclear if the attack resulted in any other casualties among the village population. Thursday's attack took place at a village in the Numan region, and was reportedly launched against the village in retaliation for prior intercommunal clashes in which unidentified attackers killed over 30 herders from Sunday, November 19, to Monday, November 20. Additional retaliatory clashes are possible between settled and nomadic communities in the affected area in the coming days. 

Context

Intercommunal clashes are common in Nigeria, especially between nomadic and settled communities. These kinds of clashes have been known to break out in the central Middle Belt region - e.g. in Plateau, Bauchi, Benue, Kaduna, and Nassawara states - as well as in the south, where casualties are regularly reported. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that murder rates linked to ethnic violence are higher than those related to terrorism, also a major security concern in the country.

Advice

Generally speaking, the security environment in Nigeria is complex and is particularly concerning in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. states of Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.