Rule of Law: Success Stories
Nigeria: Community Conflict Mitigated
On September 27, 2002 in Taraba State, a Fulani herdsman, was herding his family cattle near Ibi town when a Tiv youth from Benue State, attacked him with a machete and left him for dead. Fulani youth in the area started organizing to avenge the attack. Had the Fulani youth followed through with their revenge it could have reignited the cycle of violent conflict between the neighboring Fulani and Tiv communities which had plagued the region in recent years.
However, Mr. Ade Seyin, a Fulani member of the Community Peace and Mediation Committee (CPMC) - an organization established by USAID to resolve and avoid conflict in the area - reported the incident to Mr. Denise Tsav, a Tiv member of the CPMC. Mr. Tsav immediately began investigating the crime, and having identified the guilty party, he handed the perpetrator over to the police. Equally important, Mr. Tsav convinced the Tiv community to pay the medical bills for the victim. Both actions quelled Fulani demands for revenge, averting a reprisal attack that could have provoked further violence in the now peaceful community.
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