Global InformationZaki Biam massacre information
| Zaki-Biam massacre | |
|---|---|
  Zaki-Biam Location of Zaki-Biam in Nigeria | |
| Location | Zaki-Biam, Benue State, Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 7°30′2.16″N 9°36′22.68″E / 7.5006000°N 9.6063000°E |
| Date | 20–24 October 2001 |
| Target | Tiv people |
Attack type | Mass shooting, Mass killing, Spree killing, House demolition and Kidnapping[1] |
| Weapons | Machine guns, armoured tanks, helicopter gunship, grenades, whips and fire[2] |
| Deaths | Over 200[3] |
| Victims | Tiv people (civilians: men, women and children) |
| Perpetrators | Nigerian Army |
| Motive | Avenging the kidnapping and murder of 19 soldiers by suspected Tiv militia[4] |
The Zaki-Biam massacre (also known as The Zaki-Biam Invasion or Operation No Living Thing) was a mass execution of hundreds of unarmed Tiv civilians by the Nigerian Army between 20 and 24 October 2001. The massacre was a surreptitious operation of the Nigerian army to avenge the killing of 19 soldiers, whose mutilated bodies were found on 12 October 2001, near some Tiv villages in Benue State. The massacre took place in villages including Gbeji, Vaase, Anyiin, Iorja, Ugba, Tse-Adoor, Sankera, Kyado and Zaki-Biam.[5][6]
At the time, the Nigerian Army and the federal government denied that soldiers killed any villagers. However, on 6 November 2007, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Luka Yusuf, publicly offered an apology to the people of Benue State for the killings.[7] President Umaru Yar'Adua also visited Benue State to personally apologize on behalf of the federal government of Nigeria.[8] No soldier was ever punished, and nobody went to jail for the offences committed.[9]
- ^ "Nigeria: Killings by government soldiers must be investigated". amnesty.org.uk. 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Victor Malu: A General Betrayed (II)". nationalaccordnewspaper.com. 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Nigeria: Nigerian soldiers carry out massacres". wsws.org. 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HRWwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Nigeria Army Said to Massacre Hundreds of Civilians". The New York Times. 2001. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ Hagher, Iyorwuese (2002). Beyond Hate and Violence: Understanding the Tiv Struggle for Citizenship Rights and Social Justice in Nigeria. Ibadan: Caltop Publications (Nigeria) Ltd. pp. 40, 93–95, 140, 106, 166, 204. ISBN 978-35972-4-8.
- ^ "Mixed reaction to army's apology". thenewhumanitarian.org. 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Odi gets justice but what about Zaki Biam?". peoplesdailyng.com. 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Nigeria's History With Judicial Panels And What It Means To Victims of Police Brutality". accountablenigeria.org. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.