Terrorism in Nigeria

Abstract

Terrorism has become one of the most attractive concepts in the field of security studies, especially since the international security architecture was radically transformed in 2001 following the 9/11 incident in the United States. Thus, terrorism has acquired a transnational outlook in the global governance agenda. This chapter is an attempt to explore the issues surrounding terrorism in Nigeria, since the recent upsurge in terrorist activities has drawn immense interest from both local and international stakeholders. This chapter is a desk study which borrows heavily from secondary sources of data to examine meaning and feature(s) of terrorism, types of terrorism, theoretical explanations of terrorism in Nigeria, a historical overview of terrorism in Nigeria, cases of terrorists attack and effects of terrorism on the Nigerian economy, politics and diplomatic relations. It argues that the causes of terrorism in Nigeria are multidimensional in nature and scope, suggesting a multi-stakeholder approach to stemming the tide in the polity. It further establishes an inextricable link between terrorism and religious fundamentalism in the Nigeria experience. It concludes that unless the country cooperates with other international actors, especially her immediate neighbours in combating the menace of domestic terrorism, it will remain vulnerable to terrorist activities which have increasingly become globalized in nature and scope.