NIGERIA: POLITICS FUELS INCREASING VIOLENCE IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000058 STATE FOR AF/W, AF/EX AND INR/AA STATE PASS TO USTR-AGAMA TREASURY FOR PETERS AND HALL DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS AND 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS USAID/AFR/WA FOR TWAY, USAID/AFR/SD JHILL, AND UNSAID/EGAT MOTT E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2018 TAGS: PGOV KCRM KCOR ECON NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: POLITICS FUELS INCREASING VIOLENCE IN AKWA IBOM STATE REF: 08 LAGOS 399 Classified By: Consul General Donna Blair, Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: John Akpan, a Akwa Ibom resident, business man and civil activist who was formerly an International Visitor Leadership Program participant, told PolOff in Calabar on January 12 that the increasing incidence of kidnappings in Akwa Ibom state had political roots. Akpan claimed that all kidnappings in Akwa Ibom State over the last six months had been carried out by persons with ethnic and cultist ties to the ruling governor, Godswill Akpabio (Peoples Democratic Party - PDP),while the victims represented potential opponents to his rule. The police will not take action against the crimes which are government supported and encouraged. Akpan blamed the current state government for the lack of education and development in the state, saying that the government wanted a population that was ignorant and desperate because it was easier to intimidate and manipulate. Nevertheless, he claimed the potential for violence in Akwa Ibom state is rising as a result of people's frustration with the current state of affairs and a state government that is perceived to be exceptionally corrupt. End Summary. Kidnappings Have Political and Cultist Roots -------------- ¶2. (C) John Akpan, a civil activist, who traveled to the US on the IVLP program in 2004 and now works on capacity building for civil servants through an exchange program with the University of Wisconsin, told PolOff on January 12 that the notable increase in kidnappings in Akwa Ibom State over the last year was a legacy of political rivalries within the ruling PDP during the 2007 election campaign. Akpan claimed that Akpabio had used "cultists" to help him win the PDP nomination for governor in an intransparent process in advance of the completely fraudulent elections. (Note: in the Nigerian context "cultists" are essentially armed gangs with an occult component allegedly entailing bloodshed. End Note.) According to Akpan, the "cultists" had been expelled from school for their activities, but they "made the election of Akpabio possible." Many "cultists" later found their way 
into government jobs and continue to have strong influence on Akpabio. Governor Akpabio Supports Political Kidnappings -------------- - ¶3. (C) While some claim that these "cultists" are now operating independently and for financial gain because they were not receiving adequate pay-offs from Akpabio, Akpan believes that, on the contrary, Akpabio is behind, or at least tolerates, the kidnappings. As evidence, he cited the fact that the kidnappers have the same ethnicity as Governor Akpabio, and are widely believed to belong to the same "cult," while the victims have predominantly been people of a different ethnicity and with the potential to challenge Akpabio for leadership inside or outside the PDP. While the kidnappers themselves benefit monetarily from the crimes, Akpan believes Akpabio benefits politically. He stressed that the victims have largely been business people with legitimate earnings, who might eventually be independent enough to challenge Akpabio. Akpan argues that the violence in Akwa Ibom is a carefully orchestrated campaign to pay-off cronies of the governor while at the same time intimidating any potential opposition to Akpabio from inside or outside the PDP. Akpan does not believe the kidnappers in Akwa Ibom have ties to the militant camps of the core Niger Delta. (Note: While Akpan's explanation of violence against Nigerians is plausible, it is hard to see the political dividends to Akpabio of the increased incidence of violence against the employees and installations of the International Oil Companies such as occurred in the attack on ExxonMobil busses December 3, 2008, the kidnapping of Russian employees of Alscon December 20, 2008 or the pirate attacks on vessels and platforms off the Akwa Ibom coast on December 4 and 19, 2008 and January 7 and 12 of this year. End Note.) Corruption, Ignorance Contribute to Situation -------------- ¶4. (C) Asked about the operations of the national police, Akpan said that it receives large portions of its funding from the State government and takes its orders from the governor. As a result, the police will not pursue crimes perpetrated by the State government. The fact that not a single kidnapper has been apprehended, he said, supported his allegation that the government was itself behind the recent rash of kidnappings. Akpan pointed out that Akpabio practiced law without a license before becoming governor, an indication of how little he believed in the rule of law; his government is widely perceived as exceptionally corrupt. (Note: an American missionary told the Consul General and PolOff in August 2008 that she had to move her clinic from Akwa Ibom to Cross River State because the corruption in Akwa Ibom was insufferable. She said the situation in Cross River State was much better. End Note.) Akpan further accused the Akpabio government of intentionally keeping the population in ignorance and poverty in order to be able to manipulate and intimidate it. He claimed, however, that people are becoming frustrated with the utter lack of development and with the rising insecurity. He believes frustrations may explode into violence in the elections of 2011 if not before. ¶5. (C) Comment: Other interlocutors have corroborated Akpan's allegations of Akpabio's ties to cults, while the role of cults in violence in Akwa Ibom was confirmed by Patrick Naagbanton (Note: Patrick Naagbanton is a civil activist who recently received an award from Amnesty International for his engagement in the Niger Delta. End Note.) in a separate meeting with PolOff on January 12. On November 12, 2008, British TV station Channel 4 aired a documentary in which journalist Garry Foxcroft recorded the murder of 110 children in Akwa Ibom for allegedly being witches and wizards; the documentary highlights the vulnerability to charlatans and superstition of a population lacking even rudimentary education. Lack of development in Akwa Ibom is glaring (ref); however, post is unable to assess the degree to which ordinary people in Akwa Ibom are aware of the exceptional degree of corruption in the State or measure their level of frustration. Likewise the role of government in the recent increase in violence is impossible to assess. End comment. ¶6. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. BLAIR