Man killed as Basilan rido violence spills over into Zamboanga

BASILAN, Philippines – A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in Zamboanga City on Tuesday night, July 25, which investigators saw as a spillover of violence from Basilan, a province that has seen an increased crime rate and gun violence largely blamed on clan feuds.

The victim, Akran Said, of Isabela, Basilan, was shot dead in a house at Uchida Drive on Johnston Street in Barangay San Jose Gusu, Zamboanga.

Police tagged his 40-year-old uncle as the primary suspect in Said’s murder. The suspect, who hails from Hadji Muhtamad town in Basilan, remains at large as of posting time. 

Investigators at the Zamboanga City Police Station 11 blamed the deadly shooting on grudges allegedly held by the suspect against the victim.

During a meeting of the Basilan Provincial Peace and Order Council on Tuesday, the police said they noted an 8% increase in the province’s crime rate since January compared to the first half of 2022.

Philippine National Police-Basilan director Colonel Carlos Madronio said this was mainly due to increased cases of gun violence, especially in Lamitan City, where five gun attacks were reported in July alone. 

Madronio said most of the gun attacks were attributed to rido (clan feuds) that have turned at least seven villages from various towns into areas of concern. 

He said that of Basilan’s 11 towns, only three – Tabuan Laza, Hadji Muhtammad, and Akbar – had registered zero crime rates. Incidentally, the suspect in Said’s murder in Zamboanga is from Hadji Muhtammad town.

Basilan Governor Jim Hataman-Salliman urged police and barangay officials to collaborate and step up the campaign against criminality in the province.

The rido problem, which pertains to long and entrenched clan conflicts, has afflicted many parts of Mindanao for generations. 

The conflicts commonly stem from land disputes, political rivalries, and historical grievances among diverse ethnic and religious groups. 

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group, in a report last May, said clan feuds are among those that pose obstacles to the Mindanao peace process, particularly the development and stability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The group also warned that clan feuds could result in more violence in the months leading to this year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan and 2025 elections. The BARMM is set to hold its first regional elections in 2025. – Rappler.com