Political Violence and Terrorism: Insight Into Niger Delta Militancy and Boko Haram

Year 2016, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 123 - 145, 01.06.2016

Özüm Sezin Uzun Yusuf Saheed Adegboyega

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the nexus between the following: 1) the political violence and terrorism practiced by Niger Delta militants and Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria, and 2) the governance of Nigeria. The article focuses on the historical trend of political violence since the amalgamation of the country and the impacts of terrorism. Before Nigerian independence, the country was organized by colonial powers under a protectorate system of both Northern and Southern regions, with people of different tribes and cultures living under different patterns of administrative governance. In 1914, colonial powers amalgamated the regions into one state, aiming for an easier administrative system. After amalgamation, a movement for selfgovernance emerged among the peoples of the newly united regions, though the only thing that both protectorates shared peacefully was the name of the country: Nigeria. The subsequent struggle for ethnic supremacy and the incidence of regional disparity, among other factors, In retrospect, it can be said that this long-standing struggle for political leadership has transformed in the last decade into a national act of terrorism in the forms of militancy in the Niger Delta and the Boko Haram insurgency. This article aims to examine the roots and impacts of the Niger Delta militancy and the Boko Haram insurgency through the context of historical developments in Nigeria, focusing on socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and ethnic factors

Keywords

Political Violence, Niger Delta, Boko Haram, Terrorism, Nigeria

References

• [1] Abbas, F. (2013). Terrorism: Its genesis, causes, effects and solution. Mimeo.
• [2] Agbiboa, D. E. (2014). Peace at daggers drawn? Boko Haram and the state of emergency in Nigeria. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 37(1), 41-67. doi: 10.1080/1057610X.2014.853602.
• [3] Beetseh, K., & Echikwonye, R. A. (2011). The impact of terrorism and global security on the development of Nigerian foreign policy: A challenge. Journal of Arts and Contemporary Society, 3, 93-101.
• [4] Cocks, T. (2011, August 29). Islamist sect Boko Haram claims Nigerian U.N. bombing. Reuters News. Retrieved on June 6, 2015, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/29/usnigeria-bombing-claim-idUSTRE77S3ZO20110829.
• [5] Frainc (screen name). (2014, July 16). History of Nigeria civil war. Message posted to http://www.nairaland.com/1830123/history-nigeria-civil-war.
• [6] Francis, P., LaPin, D., & Rossiasco, P. (2011). Securing development and peace in the Niger Delta: A social and conflict analysis for change. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
• [7] Held, D. & McGrew, A. (1998). The end of the old order? Globalization and the prospects for world order. Review of International Studies, 24(5), 219-245.
• [8] Iwundu, C. O., & Thom-Otuya, B. E. N. (2013). Security challenges as threats to national unity in Nigeria: Causes, prevention and treatment. International Affairs and Global Strategy, 14, 16-21.
• [9] Jauhari, A. (2011). Colonial and post-colonial human rights violations in Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(5), 53-57.
• [10] Knutsen, T. L. (1992). A history of international relations theory: An introduction. Manchester: U.K.: Manchester University Press.
• [11] Nwaoga, C. T., Nche, G. C., & Olihe, A. O. (2014). The national conference, ethno-religious pluralism and the challenge of national unity in Nigeria. Global Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(3), 44-58.
• [12] Obara, I. (ed.) Groundwork of Nigerian history. Nigeria: HEBN Publishers.
• [13] Obasanjo, O. (1981). My command: An account of the Nigerian Civil War 1967-70. U.K.: Heinemann Publications.
• [14] Ogbonnaya, U. M., & Ehigiamusoe, U. K. (2013). Niger Delta militancy and Boko Haram insurgency: National security in Nigeria. Global Security Studies, 4(3), 1-14.
• [15] Okoli, A. C., & Iortyer, P. (2014). Terrorism and humanitarian crisis in Nigeria: Insights from Boko Haram insurgency. Global Journal of Human-Social Science: (F) Political Science, 14(1), 39-50.
• [16] Okonkwo, D. O. (1962). History of Nigeria in a new setting: From the earliest time to 1961. Aba, Nigeria: International Press.
• [17] Oladimeji, M. S., & Oresanwo, A. M. (2014). Effects of terrorism on the international business in Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(7.1): 247-255.
• [18] Olusanya, G. O. (1980). Constitutional development in Nigeria, 1861-1960.
• [19] Omale, D. J. O. (2013). Terrorism and counter terrorism in Nigeria: Theoretical paradigms and lessons for public policy. Canadian Social Science, 9(3), 96-103. doi: 10.3968/j.css.1923669720130903.2916
• [20] Onduku, A. (2003). The lingering crisis in the Niger Delta: A field report. The Journal of Peace, Conflict & Development, 3, 1-10. doi: 10.7246/pcd.0305.
• [21] Oyeniyi, A. B. (2010). Terrorism in Nigeria: Groups, activities, and politics’. International Journal of Politics and Good Governance, 1(1.1), 1-16.
• [22] Siegle, J. (2013). Boko Haram and the isolation of northern Nigeria: Regional and international implications. In I. Mantzikos (Ed.), Boko Haram: Anatomy of a crisis (pp. 85-90). Bristol, U.K.: e-International Relations.
• [23] Usman, T. (2014, July 19). Jonathan launches new e-passport, asks Nigerians to promote country’s image. Premium Times. Retrieved on June 7, 2015, from http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/165790- jonathan-launches-new-e-passport-asks-nigerians-to-promotecountrys-image.html.
• [24] World Tourism Organization. (2006). Nigeria tourism development master plan: Institutional capacity strengthening to the tourism sector in Nigeria. NIR/03/002.