Sources and Dynamics of Communal Conflicts inNigeria: Limits and Possibilities
-
1Sayika Abdul Sadiq
-
DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.16882950
-
1Departmentof Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Faculty of Social Sciences, NationalOpen University of Nigeria, Jabi, Abuja
The prevalence communal conflict in various
parts of the country has continued to generate chronic security issues among
researchers, policy makers, academics and other stakeholders. Most concerning
is the wide spread of the menace across the wide and breadth of this country.
This paper interrogated the protracted nature of communal conflicts in Nigeria,
focusing of its historical context, sources, dynamic nature, effects and
response mechanisms deployed to curtail the menace by concerned stakeholders.
The paper relied mainly on secondary sources including books, journals,
scientific reports, bulletins, seminar/conference presentations. It identified
main underling drivers of communal conflict, including land disputes, boundary
conflicts, farmer-herder issues and chieftaincy disagreements. These factors
have consistently been the main triggers for most instances of communal
violence across the country. It further submitted that the fault lines, which
denote their dynamic nature and opportunistic socio-cultural and political
factors that frequently contribute to communal conflict’s intense and
aggressive nature. These factors encompass ethnicity, religion, identity
politics, and cultural biases. They invariably impact of these deep-rooted
elements often gives communal violence to its heightened tension/fear imposed
on the communities, destruction of lives and properties, disruption of
commercial activities, slowing down of socio-economic development. Nigeria’s
communal disputes have hindered the progress of markets and economic
advancement. Efforts of governments and non-state actors were also documented,
especially in the area of deployment of security operatives to quell the
violence, reconciling aggrieved parties, provision of immediate relief
materials and involvement in post-conflict peacebuilding. The paper concluded
that communal conflicts persist in various parts of the country, especially in
the rural communities. It submitted that the situation may linger if
appropriate steps are not taken to tackle the menace. The paper recommended
scientific researches to fully understand the deep-rooted nature of the
conflict. It also advocated the establishment of early warning systems for
timely detection. In addition, the paper advocated the deployment of more
security operatives to rural communities where the teething issue of
ungovernable spaces has not been frontally addressed.