Emergence of Terrorism in Nigeria and its Impacts on the Citizens

Instead of focusing on diversifying, the leaders of the country focus on gaining power and standing in the government. “Nigeria’s most daunting challenge lies in overcoming the severe divisions among its competing religious and ethnic groups” . Moreover, once they gain it, their problems do not end, since they must look over their back, never knowing how long they will hold on to the little power they have. Meanwhile, the common person suffers, as he is neglected by his government and must survive on his own. “The standard of living declined even further than before and external debts increased.” This neglect of the common man bodes ill for the government, as it is the common man who votes in the polls. However, the vote does very little, since corruption is rampant in Nigeria.

Intrastate conflict has historically been savage and chaotic; nowhere have these descriptors been more fitting than within African civil wars. A legacy of colonialism, ineffective governance, and regional conflict scars the continent, resulting in regular political instability within its territories. The Nigerian civil war of the late 1960s cost the lives of an estimated three-million people- the majority of whom were civilians who succumbed to starvation (NWE 2015). This conflict has traditionally been understood to have been caused by ethnic tensions within the state, and justifiably so (Falola 1999, 125). The ethnic cleansing of the Igbo that occurred throughout September and October of 1966 in northern Nigeria undoubtedly played a

War was inevitable: ‘This simple and seemingly innocuous action broke the last thread and split the last institution symbolizing Nigeria's nationhood and cohesion which had been regularly tampered with by the politicians since 1962. The rift between the Eastern Region and the rest of the country was total’ (ibid). In a meeting convened in Aburi, Ghana, by Ghanaian general Gen. Ankrah, leader of the eastern region military Lt. Col. Ojukwu understood the real issues at hand and convinced attendees that the only way for Nigeria to stay together is that it has to break apart, effectively implying secession. After a breakdown in communication, a frustrated federal government passes Decree no. 8 of 17th March 1967, which split Nigeria’s regions into twelve states. This was seen by Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon as a pre-emptive, non-violence weapon against the east. The eastern region was split into 3 states. Lt. Col. Ojukwu unsurprisingly rejected Decree no. 8 and states that the Enugu, (capital of Nigeria’s eastern region) is headed for secession. On the 30th of May 1967, the eastern region of Nigeria declares itself as the independent sovereign state of Biafra. The Federal military fired the first bullet on the 6th of July 1967. Now this essay will turn to providing a background to the development of Realism as an analytical theory of International Relations.

The Boko Haram sect in Nigeria has been a huge problem for the country in the past, and the threat is only growing. This group is considered responsible for a handful of government attacks, targets on the United Nations, and often churches who undermine the Islamic religion. Their actions have spawned from the idea that their country is controlled by “fake Muslims”, and aim to create an Islamic nation ruled with Sharia law.

Different sources have different causes of what they say was the motivation for Boko Haram’s attacks. Some sources say it was the killing of their leader in 2009 and some even say that the it was due to global warming within that country, but whatever it is, it is a big problem not only for the Islamic states but all of the other countries of the world. Their different attacks seem to show what the source of this motivation was. The group is very hard to understand in terms of their overall motivation because there is so little known information about them. Information in general is hard to come by from Nigeria. Police officers and city officials so corrupt that they give the citizens little to no information as to what is going on (Walker, 2012, p. 7). They are too motivated by their own selfish goals. The Boko Haram group itself has given no really helpful information as it has denied bombings and other terroristic activities.

Nigeria was having an internal war that the Muslims started with the Ibos. It started when they gained independence in 1960. They adopted the feudal systems and had to share power with Lagos, and three state governments in the north, east, and west. In 1964, the Ibos seized power and declared a central dictatorship. The Muslims of the north didn’t like the Ibos because they weren’t Muslim. So they sparked a war in 1967. The Ibos, after a group of northern officers obtained the government positions, created their own

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the United States, including its allies, waged brutal campaigns directed at the Al Qaeda leadership and, the Taliban in the Middle East. America’s fight against terrorism nonetheless consumed billions of dollars since the 9/11 attacks. Earlier, countries such as England, Spain, Italy, and Russia, similarly waged wars against the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, the Red Brigades and the Chechnya separatists. In most of these cases, research shed light on the mechanisms that led to the demise or the defeat of these terrorist groups. However, when it comes to similar groups located in the southern hemispheric countries such as Nigeria, the mechanisms leading to the group

This article is about the mistreatment of people fleeing from Boko Haram who thought that the Nigerian soldiers would save them. As hundreds flee from Boko Haram claimed territories, Nigerian soldiers are picking them up and holding them as prisoners in detention centers, claiming to be trying to protect others from extremist claiming to be victims. This has lead to some accusations of mistreatment because these detention centers are holding men, women, and infants for months on end in unsanitary and unsafe areas. The article then explains that the Nigerian government and army are being accused of being too extreme in its persistence and ways of trying to eliminate Boko Haram. While Nigeria is struggling to handle the threat that is Boko Haram,

For the past seven years innocence have been injured, killed, or brutally tortured by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. They have lost their homes and precious possessions due to a cruel, selfish satisfaction of this organization. Boko Haram members believe that these “brutal penalties” is just an ordinary way to express their culture. Although Nigeria came to a conclusion that these terrorists had given up, it only took five months later to realize it was not the end. Nigeria’s strategies had gotten them nowhere and only led them back to where they started.

Furthermore, proceeding the conquest by foreigners, the ethnic groups of Nigeria had independent histories. According to the well known forum, Countries and Their Cultures, “Their grouping together into a single entity known as Nigeria was a construct of their British colonizers. These various ethnic groups never considered themselves part of the same culture. This general lack of Nigerian nationalism coupled with an ever-changing and often ethnically biased national leadership, have led to severe internal ethnic conflicts and a civil war.” (Asogwa) As demonstrated by the previous excerpt Nigeria was inhibited by fully functional native tribes.

Boko Haram have been known to switch their attack tactics due to Nigerian security forces catching up on them. To begin with, from 2009 to 2014 most attacks carried out by Boko Haram were by armed assaults, which resulted in 63% of the deaths that year (Pricopi,2016). Not only did Boko Haram conduct attacks using armed assaults but they also used bombs as well. In fact, bombing tactics in 2013 were used in 35 incidents; however, that number increased by three times in 2014, making it used in 107 incidents(Pricopi,2016). Also, in that same year the number of civilians attacked in public places also increased as well. Suicide attacks, were also another tactic used by Boko Haram and in 2014, they accounted for atleast 31 of those attacks

It has been establish that a country with abundant ethnicity does not mean that it is fated to be in conflict. Nigeria

Before we begin, let’s take a look at the country and its environs. Nigeria a former British Colony, located in the western part of Africa, it shares borders with Benin, Cameroun, and Niger. A growing population of 150million, labour force of 51million (70% Agriculture, 10% industry and 20% service), urbanisation is less than 40%, GDP is over $300billion, Per capita income is $2300. Nigeria is blessed with different cultures, languages and ethnic groups (252 in total); this was due to the colonization of the British in the early 19th century (Columbia Encyclopaedia). The British amalgamated its protectorates in 1914 to enable stable control and governance which made them create one Nation of Nigeria formed from all the groups, community and empires around the Niger area under their control. Nigeria had her independence on the 1st of October 1960 and since then various civil wars, political and religious unrest in the country to share power and resources amicably.

The West African nation of Nigeria is rich in oil and natural resources. However, ongoing internal conflicts hinder the country from benefitting from its natural wealth. Since its independence in 1960, Nigeria had two coups and various violent protracted conflicts. The major conflicts in the country are religious, ethnic, economic, and political. However, ethnic and religious conflicts alone claim thousands of lives and affect the country's economy enormously. Grievance over power distribution and wealth allocation between the Muslim dominated north, and the Christian dominated south created a dip division among the two religious groups. Military rule, poor governance, and corruption also became major impediments for the economic growth and peacebuilding in the country. In addition to exacerbating poverty, bad governance is often cited for the rise of religious and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria. In this short essay, I discuss the role of religion in the ongoing conflicts of Nigeria. I also discuss the different factors that exacerbate the religious conflict. The essay also discusses how the teachings of Islam and Christianity are used to transform the conflict. Examples are drawn from conflict transformation effort by two religious leaders, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa. The essay finishes with a brief conclusion.

The colonial era of Nigeria was a long and hard experience for many Nigerians. The country was slowly colonized by Britain in 1885. Through newfound radical nationalist beliefs, Nigeria fought its way through the struggles of making itself into an independent nation. In 1960, the goal of independence was finally reached. Soon after Nigeria found itself in a social crisis of too many clashing cultures, while simultaneously attempting to assert itself as a power nation into the world. The anticolonialization of Nigeria would not have been possible without the Nigerian’s increasingly negative views of European power, which allowed the different cultures to unite in the goal of independence.