Nigeria at the Crossroads

But since the motives and claims that generated the violence have yet to be resolved, there continue to be armed gangs and militias, as well as criminals dedicated to oil theft. The Niger Delta is a hotbed for piracy in coastal communities. But, in recent years the presence of international naval vessels and co-operation with regional authorities have had a positive impact on piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, with a decrease in incidents. Still, in 2021, there are reports of 115 vessels being boarded, 11 attempted attacks, five vessels fired upon, one vessel hijacked and 57 crew kidnapped in seven separate inci- dents 14 . “Oil exploration and exploitation in the Delta State began in 1956. That means it predates the creation of the Nigerian state. A place called Oloibri was the first place that got the crude oil. But if you go there, it’s like a ghost town. There is nothing. So much money is stolen from the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta is where crude is extracted from, and not just crude. There are many gas deposits there. However, there are no roads, no electricity, no drinking water, no government presence really, even gas for cooking or fuel for cars are bought at a very high price. In many places the gas escapes and when it rains, the gas, which has passed into the atmosphere, falls as acid rain. People drink from the stream, because there is no drinkable water anywhere. Alternative drinking water is very expensive to obtain. I lost my older sister, my older brother, and my mother to cancer. And it’s not just my own family. A lot of people have died of cancer. We don’t know where they get this cancer, but I think it comes from drinking water. And I fear many more people will die from it. Our entire aquatic life has been destroyed.”

Bishop H. Egbebo of Bomadi, in Delta state, to ACN during an interview in 2018.

3.7. Cultism and ritual killings Area affected: South-East and Southern Nigeria Root of the conflict: economic wealth, criminality, power, superstition 3.7.1. Cultism 15 Cultism refers to the phenomenon of secret societies, secret bro- therhoods or secret cults that is widespread in southern Nigeria. It was born in the university environment in the 1950s, copying the tradition of American fraternities and freemasons, around the ideal of independence. In the 1980s, however, secret socie- ties evolved into dangerous and violent criminal organisations that control organised crime, including human trafficking ne-

- 27 -