Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Verify this document by clicking hereBigotry, rooted in ethnic, religious, and regional divides, has intensified Nigeria's challenges with terrorism, thereby impinging on national security.The dynamic is evident in the ongoing Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgency, ethnic violence in the Northcentral and separatist movements in the Southeast.Such divisions, often fueled by systemic discrimination, contribute to widespread insecurity.Discriminatory practices not only alienate communities but also provide environments for terrorist recruitment, as seen in regions where perceived marginalization drives individuals towards insurgent groups.For instance, the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency, which began in North-Eastern Nigeria in 2009, is often seen as a response to bigotry linked to perceived marginalization of the Muslim-majority North.Economic disparity, lack of infrastructure, and limited political representation in Northern Nigeria createdgrievances that insurgents exploited to recruit members, positioning themselves as a resistance to a government perceived as biased towards the Christian-majority South (Onuoha, 2014).This sense of marginalization, which many Northerners view as a form of religious and regional bigotry, fueled insurgency, resulting in over 37,000 deaths and the displacement of millions across Nigeria and neighboring countries (Council on Foreign Relations, 2023).Similarly, the Northcentral Northwestern regions, home to both Muslim Fulani pastoralists and Christian farming communities, have witnessed an escalation in violent conflicts that are often framed around bigotry linked with ethno-religious clashes.Initially arising from disputes over land and resources, these conflicts have been intensified by ethnic bigotry, with communities perceiving one another as existential threats.The perception led to retaliatory violence, displacement, and significant loss of life.In 2021 alone, over 600 people were killed in Benue and Plateau states due to these intercommunal clashes, which contribute to Nigeria's broader national security challenges (International Crisis Group, 2022).
DOI: 10.61955/ttxmyk
Author: Nnabueze Nnabueze
Institution: Nasarawa State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4416222047
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