Climate Induced Crisis: A Case Study of Ibi Skirmish Aftermath of 2012 Flooding

Global insecurity as a result of insurgences over many parts of the world seems to be warring against the majorglobal concern of this era. Climate change seems to be having alliance with increasing insecurity in the world.Barely coming out of the global financial, economic, energy and food crisis that swept most part of the world in2008, Nigeria is yet weighed down again by environmental and social insurgences in the last two years. Forinstance, largest part of the nation revenue that would have been used to create million jobs is on security and towoo foreign support on security matter in the nation. Because of the sensitivity of the dual facet monster, andthe numerous octopus-like hands of its operation, stakeholders seem confused or divided. The seemly division atthe head appears priming dis-connection at the various parts of the body.Increase rate of flooding has created an unimaginable trauma, economic shocks, reduced employment, raisedrecruitment of armed groups and eventually gave room to seemly unending violence in the northern part of thenation. To overcome these problems, this present government has invested so much in youth targetedprogrammes and projects to alleviate poverty. In the past two years, almost 60 per cent of the SURE-P income ischannelled towards recognition of importance of youth development for sustainable environmental managementyet the impact seems eluded.In attempt to relate environmental changes as a contributor to escalation of conflict in Ibi, Taraba State, the papertraced the linkage of climate change and social unrest along the riparian communities of upper Benue River Basinof Nigeria (Taraba). Using content and interpretative methodologies aimed at understanding through empathy,focus group, in depth- interviewing through phone and examination of archive resources, findings show that thereexists latent print of climate change in Ibi crisis. There was glaring usage of the hands condemned by climatechange on the causes of the skirmish on Wukari-Ibi. Out of 309 arrested in connection with the case, 179 chargedto court, 79.6% have no other means of livelihood but farming. 40.6% lived in floodprone area and out of this figure more than half are out of farming in that season as a result of 2012 flood hazardwith each having, more than 4 dependants. Out of 2.4 million displaced by 2012 flood from the nation, more25% lived in North – East and about 300 families in Ibi are yet to recover from the flood incidence. Climatechange may not be the major cause of the insurgence of boko haram in Nigeria, neither in any part of the world,but the hands condemned by climate change (flooding) in the riparian communities of Taraba co-engineered theIbi-Wukari skirmish.This research was conducted for stakeholders in Taraba and Nigeria as a whole to rise up to the challenges ofclimate change social induced skirmish in Ibi-Wukari and Nigeria so as to prevent its foray in the future now thatthe election is around the corner.