Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian government of gross incompetence in tackling the incessant killings and violent clashes between farmers and herders across the country.

In its report titled “Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria,” Amnesty International said government inaction and poor response have fueled impunity, resulting in thousands of deaths.

“In December 2018, we released a report that shows how the Nigerian government’s inaction and stunning incompetence fueled impunity, resulting in attacks and reprisal attacks, with at least 3,641 people killed between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent of them in 2018 alone,” the report stated.

According to the organization, its research revealed that most of the attacks were well-planned and coordinated, involving the use of sophisticated weapons such as machine guns and AK-47 rifles. Despite having intelligence and information on the suspected perpetrators, the authorities allegedly failed to take meaningful preventive or punitive action.

Citing specific examples, Amnesty International noted that communities in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State came under attack on January 1, 2018, when armed gangs invaded villages in a wave of violence that lasted 11 days. The assault left at least 88 people dead, though the state government was only able to bury 73 bodies.

Between January 2016 and October 2018, the organization recorded 310 separate attacks, with the most affected states being Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and Plateau. Other states, including Enugu, Ondo, Oyo, Delta, and Edo, were also hit by varying degrees of violence.

Amnesty International condemned the government’s failure to protect citizens, describing it as “a betrayal of constitutional responsibility.”

“The Nigerian government has been displaying what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population and end the intensifying violent attacks,” the report added.

“The authorities’ lethargy has allowed impunity to flourish and the killings to spread to many parts of the country, inflicting greater suffering on communities who already live in constant fear of the next attack.”