DOCSLIB.ORG

Rumours of Maitatsine: a Note on Political Culture in Northern Nigeria

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rumours of Maitatsine: a Note on Political Culture in Northern Nigeria RUMOURS OF MAITATSINE: A NOTE ON POLITICAL CULTURE IN NORTHERN NIGERIA NIELS KASTFELT Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/88/350/83/15279 by guest on 01 October 2021 The Maitatsine movement DURING THE FIRST half of the 1980s the 'Maitatsine' movement was an explosive factor in Nigerian society. During the 1960s and 1970s the founder of the movement, the Camerounian Muhammadu Marwa, alias 'Maitatsine', established himself as an unorthodox Koranic teacher in Kano in northern Nigeria. He gradually built up a closely knit local community of followers, united by their belief in the doctrines of Maitatsine and later engaged in violent attacks upon other Muslims in Kano.1 Maitatsine practised as a Koranic teacher, yet seems to have rejected the Hadith and the sutmah, and at the same time to have condemned the reading of any book but the Koran as 'paganism'. He denounced the use of radios, bicycles, watches and the possession of more than an absolute minimum of money. He apparently rejected the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad and eventually, in 1979, seems to have declared himself an annqbi (Hausa for 'prophet', especially the Prophet Muhammad).2 Maitatsine and his followers, many of whom were Koranic students, con- stantly attacked what they saw as the corrupt religious practice of the established Islamic community of Kano. The author is a member of the Institute of Church History, University of Copenhagen. 1. Accounts of the Maitatsine movement and the uprisings include the official Report of the Kano Disturbances Tribunal of Inquiry (the Aniagolu Report), 14 April 1981; G. Nicolas, "Guerre sainte' a Kano', Politique africaine, 1 (1981), pp. 47-70; Raymond Hickey, 'The 1982 Maitatsine Uprisings in Nigeria: a note', African Affairs, 83 (1984), pp. 251—6; John E. Lavers, 'Popular Islam and Unpopular Dissent: religious disturbances in Northern Nigeria', paper delivered at the Conference on Popular Islam in Twentieth Century Africa, University of Illinios/Program of African Studies, Urbana, April 1984; Peter B. Clarke and Ian Linden, Islam in Modern Nigeria: a study of a Muslim community in a post-independence state 1960-1983, Entwicklung und Frieden, Wissenschaftliche Reihe 32 (Matthias-Grunewald-Verlag and Chr. Kaiser Verlag, Mainz and Munich, 1984) pp. 107-9,119-22; Paul M. Lubeck, 'Islamic Protest under Semi-Industrial Capitalism: *Yan Tattine explained', Africa, 55 (1985), pp. 369-89; Allan Christelow, 'Religious Protest and Dissent in Northern Nigeria: from Mahdism to Qur'anic integralism', Journal, Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, 6 (1985), pp. 375-93; Allan Christelow, 'The 'Yan Tatsine Disturbances in Kano: a search for perspective', The Muslim World, 75 (1985), pp. 69-84; Elizabeth Isichei, 'The Maitatsine Risings in Nigeria 1980-85: a revolt of the disinherited', Journal of Religion in Africa, 17 (1987), pp. 194-208; Mervyn Hiskett, 'The Maitatsine Riots in Kano, 1980: an assessment', Journal of Religion in Africa, 17 (1987), pp. 209-23; Peter Clarke, 'The Maitatsine Movement in Northern Nigeria in Historical and Current Perspective', in Rosalind I. J. Hackett (ed.), New Religious Movements in Nigeria, African Studies Volume 5 (The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston/Queenston, 1987) pp. 93-115. 2. As pointed out by Lavers, one should be careful to accept the claim of Maitatsine's prophethood, which may be a sterotype resulting from insufficient reliable data. Lavers, 'Popular Islam and Unpopular Dissent', p. 6. 83 84 AFRICAN AFFAIRS The anti-authoritarian and unorthodox religious character of the Maitatsine movement was combined with a strong social and political radicalism, emphasized by its rejection of the authority of the Kano State government and by the social composition of the Maitatsine followers, most of whom were recruited from among the urban poor of northern Nigeria. The first major confrontation between the Maitatsine movement and the Nigerian authorities occurred in December 1980, at a time when Maitatsine may have had between 2,000 and 3,000 followers. Violent Maitatsine Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/88/350/83/15279 by guest on 01 October 2021 assaults upon other Kano residents and an assumed Maitatsine plan of taking over the Central Mosque of Kano eventually made the Nigerian police, and later the Nigerian army, move in against the Maitatsine head- quarters in Kano. The Maitatsine followers brought out their weapons and the subsequent battle resulted in the deaths of several thousand persons, including Muhammadu Marwa himself. The massive military force developed by the Nigerian government put a violent end to the Kano uprising but did not wipe out the Maitatsine move- ment which later spread to other northern Nigerian cities. Subsequent risings in Maiduguri and Kaduna in 1982, in Yola in 1984 and in Gombe in 1985 proved that the Maitatsine followers might have lost the battle of Kano but that they were prepared to have a try elsewhere.3. The Maitatsine risings had a great impact upon the Nigerian political scene in the first half of the 1980s. First of all, a vast number of people (estimated at anything between 3,000 and 10,000, or even more) were killed in the extremely violent clashes between members of the Maitatsine movement and the Nigerian army and police. Apart from this, the risings brought about increased state control over Nigerian Muslims (and Christians as well), principally aimed at getting a stronger hold of non-registered itinerant preachers and thereby eliminating this supposed source of 'fanaticism'. This policy was whole-heartedly backed by the Islamic establishment of northern Nigeria which joined hands with the military government in order to suppress the Maitatsine movement and similar attempts at questioning the religious practice and supremacy of the northern Islamic elite.4 In a historical perspective the alliance of the Islamic leaders with the government represented a continuation of that policy of controlling religious dissent which has been a major concern of the northern Nigerian Islamic elite since 3. It should be emphasized diat one might question whether these risings were actually carried out by followers of Maitatsine. They may have been cases of general social protest classified and stigmatized by Nigerian government and religious authorities and by the mass media as expressions of 'Maitatsine fanaticism', see Lavers, 'Popular Islam and Unpopular Dissent', p. 7. 4. This was demonstrated, for instance, in the speeches by the Head of State, military governors and Islamic leaders accompanying the Eid-El-Fitr celebrations at the end of the Ramadan in June 1985. See The Nigeria Standard, The Guardian (Lagos) and the Daily Times of 20 June 1985 and statements of the Sultan of Sokoto, the F.rnir of Kano and other Islamic leaders quoted in the Report of the Kano Disturbances Tribunal of Inquiry, paras 322-7, pp. 84-5. RUMOURS OF MAITATSINE 85 the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in the early nineteenth century.5 The exact nature of the Maitatsine movement is difficult to capture. For one thing, reliable data are virtually inaccessible because of the explosive political implications of the whole Maitatsine issue. Furthermore, the very notion of 'Maitatsine' may well have been turned into a convenient ideologi- cal construction which was used by Nigerian government authorities and religious elites to marginalize and stigmatize social and ideological dissent, and consequently to blur the actual nature and scope of the Maitatsine Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/88/350/83/15279 by guest on 01 October 2021 phenomenon. No matter how difficult it may be to describe the Maitatsine movement precisely, the very concept of 'Maitatsine' was indeed a social fact in Nigeria in the first half of the 1980s. A multitude of rumours about the Maitatsine movement put it at the centre of many daily conversations and discussions and turned 'Maitatsine' into an important element of political thinking, especially among Nigerians outside the corridors of power. The Maitatsine rumours, therefore, provide an interesting body of information on aspects of popular political culture in Nigeria. A murder in Yola One set of rumours was generated by a minor incident in Yola, state capital of Gongola State and the scene of the Maitatsine rising of February and March 1984 in which probably more than one thousand people were killed.6 Around 9 o'clock a.m. on Sunday 9 June 1985, a three and a half year old girl, Fatima Garba, was killed near her home in Yola. Fatima Garba, daughter of retired Sergeant Fatu Garba, was murdered by a man who was in turn mobbed by the witnesses of the murder. The dead girl and her murderer were subsequently taken to Yola Teaching Hospital, the murderer being admitted in a state of unconsciousness. The murder of Fatima Garba immediately created a state of panic among the residents of the Rumde ward in Yola, close to which the girl was killed, and which was the base of the Maitatsine followers during their uprising in 1984. Those witnessing the murder took to the street, shouting that the Maitatsine people had struck again. They were soon followed by residents of other parts of Yola. During the morning thousands of people fled their homes, taking their essential belongings with them. Some fled Yola altogether, but most rushed for the army and police barracks and police stations in Yola for protection. The officer in charge of Yola Police Station 5. See M. Last, 'Aspects of Administration and Dissent in Hausaland, 1800-1968', Africa, 40 (1970), pp. 345-57. 6. See '100 die in Yola clashes', West Africa, 5 March 1984, p. 527; 'Roots of the Yola riots', West Africa, 12 March 1984, p. 539; 'Yola returning to normal', West Africa, 12 March 1984, p. 581; Lavers, 'Popular Islam and Unpopular Dissent', p. 7.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Understanding the Twists and Turns of Terrorism Among Muslims in the Nigerian Experience: an Assessment
    Journal of Religion and Theology Volume 2, Issue 1, 2018, PP 1-15 Understanding the Twists and Turns of Terrorism among Muslims in the Nigerian Experience: An Assessment Ojo Joseph Rapheal Department of Religion and African Culture, Adekunle Ajasin University, P.M.B. 001, Akungba, Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, West Africa *Corresponding Authors: Ojo Joseph Rapheal, Department of Religion and African Culture, Adekunle Ajasin University, P.M.B. 001, Akungba, Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, West Africa ABSTRACT The history of humanity is replete with different acts of terrorism across ages and civilizations which takes different forms but fundamentally, they reflect man‟s inhumanity to man. Basically, different ideologies form the basis for such heinous acts. Nigeria, being a pluralistic society that is predominantly Muslims and Christians, has been faced with different forms of religious fundamentalism, extremism and terrorist attacks in the past four decades especially arising from some sects under the guise of promoting Islamic ideology for the establishment of „Islamic State‟ across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Engaging this issue through the historical, phenomenological and sociological research approaches, it was discovered that most of these acts of religious radicalism, extremism and terrorism are often hinged on religious and ideological manipulation, ignorance, poverty, absence of functional structure that promotes the operation of rule of law, thus increasing the frequency of violence and its effects. The work therefore recommended among other things the de-emphasizing of religious exclusivism, deconstruction of the age-long theologies of absolute truth claim, e.t.c. The conclusion of the work is that, dignity of humanity must take precedence over every religious contravening ideology that often leads to brutality and dehumanization of fellow human beings.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Conflicts and Education in Nigeria: Implications for National Security
    Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.6, No.2, 2015 Religious Conflicts and Education in Nigeria: Implications for National Security Ushe Mike Ushe, Ph.D School of Arts and Social Sciences,National Open University of Nigeria,Lagos. Abstract The persistent religious conflicts and insecurity in Nigeria has given meaningful Nigerians a cause for deep concern in recent times. Many of them wonder why religion which used to be the cohesive factor and core of national unity, peaceful co-existence and national development has become a tool for political manipulation, violence, destruction of lives and property in Nigeria in contemporary time. This paper examines education as a catalyst for resolving conflicts and enhancing national security in Nigeria. The paper first of all defined the terms that are used in this presentation. It also makes a review of some religious conflicts experienced in Nigeria together with their causes and the effects. Furthermore, the paper examined education in Nigeria as a catalyst for sustenance of national security. The paper utilized both secondary sources and observation methods for data collection and presentation. Finding from the research reveals that religious conflicts and insecurity are endemic in Nigeria in the last two decades. The Muslims and Christian adherents have fought wars in Nigeria than they had actually fought for peace, thereby threatening peaceful co-existence and national security among the citizenry. The paper recommends among others, that the government should employ meaningful ways such as education and inter-faith dialogue to enhance peaceful co-existence and national security in Nigeria.
    [Show full text]
  • Fundamentalist Religious Movements : a Case Study of the Maitatsine Movement in Nigeria
    University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-2004 Fundamentalist religious movements : a case study of the Maitatsine movement in Nigeria. Katarzyna Z. Skuratowicz University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Recommended Citation Skuratowicz, Katarzyna Z., "Fundamentalist religious movements : a case study of the Maitatsine movement in Nigeria." (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1340. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/1340 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FUNDAMENTALIST RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE MAITATSINE MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA By Katarzyna Z. Skuratowicz M.S, University of Warsaw, 2002 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Sociology University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky May 2004 FUNDAMENTALIST RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE MAITATSINE MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA By Katarzyna Z. Skuratowicz M.S., University of Warsaw, Poland, 2002 A Thesis Approved on April 20, 2004 By the Following Thesis Committee: Thesis Director Dr. Lateef Badru University of Louisville Thesis Associate Dr. Clarence Talley University of Louisville Thesis Associate Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethno-Religious Violence in Nigeria: the Impact of Boko Haram on Religious Crisis
    Master Thesis Program: Theology and Religious Studies Specialization: Christianity and Society Ethno-Religious violence in Nigeria: The Impact of Boko Haram on Religious Crisis By: Ogunkuade Temitope Emmanuel July 2020 Supervised by Prof. Theo De Wit Second Supervisor: Prof. Marcel Porthuis 1 | P a g e Dedication: To my late Mother – Ogunkuade Olusola Theresa – who slept in the Lord on July 24th, 2020. 2 | P a g e Table of Contents Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction: The Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Nigeria .................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review on Ethno-Religious Conflicts in Nigeria ..................................................................................... 8 Conflicts in Nigeria: overview .............................................................................................................................. 8 Conceptual Perspective: Ethnicity, Religion and Conflict .................................................................................... 9 Ethno-Religious
    [Show full text]
  • Boko Haram's Religious and Political Worldview
    The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World AnaLYSIS PAPER | No. 22, January 2016 ‘The disease is unbelief’: Boko Haram’s religious and political worldview BY ALEX THURSTON Table of contents 1 Acknowledgments 3 The author 5 Introduction 7 Inadequate explanations of Boko Haram’s rise 9 Local and global roots 12 An exclusivist worldview 15 Opposing the political system 17 Grievance and reprisal 20 Implementing exclusivism through brutality 22 Boko Haram, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad 24 Boko Haram and the Islamic State 25 Recommendations to the government of Nigeria 27 U.S. policy toward Boko Haram 28 Conclusion 29 About the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World 30 The Center for Middle East Policy 1 | ‘The disease is unbelief’: Boko Haram’s religious and political worldview Acknowledgments I would like to thank William McCants and Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution for commis- sioning this paper. I gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments made by two anonymous re- viewers, which helped me to rethink crucial aspects of the paper. I am also grateful to Adam Higazi and Andrea Brigaglia for their suggestions. 3 | ‘The disease is unbelief’: Boko Haram’s religious and political worldview The author lex Thurston is a scholar of Islam and poli- tics. He joined the African Studies Program at Georgetown University in fall 2014, Aoffering courses on religion, politics, and security in Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Stud- ies from Northwestern University (2013), and an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University (2009). From 2013–2014, he was an International Affairs Fellow with the Council on Foreign Rela- tions.
    [Show full text]
  • From Maitatsine to Boko-Haram and Beyond: a Requisite to Vet the Proposed Hate Speech Bill for Muslims’ Unity and National Security
    FROM MAITATSINE TO BOKO-HARAM AND BEYOND: A REQUISITE TO VET THE PROPOSED HATE SPEECH BILL FOR MUSLIMS’ UNITY AND NATIONAL SECURITY Uthman Mohammed Mustapha Kannike (Ph.D. in view) 08056664157 [email protected], [email protected], Researcher of Islamic studies in the Department of Islamic studies Bayero University, Kano, Kano state, Nigeria. Abstract Not news again but only a matter of necessity to say that Nigeria lost innumerable lives and properties through the activities cum crisis of Maitatsine between 1980 and 1985. Greater magnitude of loss has continued to be recorded since uprising of Jama’ah Ahl as-Sunnah li ad-Da’wah wa al-Jihad (Boko-Haram) in 2002. In between the two disastrous unrests, there are on record similar ones that shared causes, identity and implications with the duo. They are considered as residual from the spark created by the former. These included Kano crises of 1982, 1991 and 1995. These subsequent Kano crises are attributed to Maitatsine because the bulk of Maitatsine crises took place in Kano. The most disastrous crisis since disappearance of Maitatsine is that of Boko Haram. Beyond Boko Haram still, are evolving ones in different parts of Nigeria which if not curbed may result to fresh catastrophes. It is observed that the destructive contribution made by both blasphemies from non-Muslims and unguarded utterances from the supposed Muslim preachers in the origin of each of the examined insurgences is enormous. This study which is descriptive and adopted contents analysis method found that the Islamic injunctions on best methodology for a Muslim preacher demands that it must be one that ensures achievement of the Da’wah objectives without any detriment to Muslims’ unity and/or National security.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Boko Haram? Narratives Has Grown up Around Boko Haram, and the Group’S Origins, Motivations, and Future Plans Remain a Matter of Debate
    UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE www.usip.org SPECIAL REPORT 2301 Constitution Ave., NW • Washington, DC 20037 • 202.457.1700 • fax 202.429.6063 ABOUT THE REPORT Andrew Walker The group Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad, known the world over as Boko Haram, is an extremist Islamic sect in Nigeria that has created havoc across the north of the country and in the capital, Abuja. Its violent attacks on government offices, the United Nations, and churches threaten to destabilize the country. A range of conflicting What Is Boko Haram? narratives has grown up around Boko Haram, and the group’s origins, motivations, and future plans remain a matter of debate. This report addresses the questions stemming Summary from these narratives and suggests how the group can be contained. The report is based on the author’s extensive • Boko Haram is an Islamic sect that believes politics in northern Nigeria has been seized by research and reporting on Boko Haram. In March 2011, he a group of corrupt, false Muslims. It wants to wage a war against them, and the Federal conducted an interview with a senior member of the group Republic of Nigeria generally, to create a “pure” Islamic state ruled by sharia law. in the city of Maiduguri, Nigeria, the center of Boko Haram’s area of influence. The report also draws on interviews with • Since August 2011 Boko Haram has planted bombs almost weekly in public or in churches Nigerian journalists who have covered the group (and in Nigeria’s northeast. The group has also broadened its targets to include setting fire to who asked to remain anonymous in this report) and on schools.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Identities and Violent Conflicts in Nigeria
    Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford A History of Identities, Violence, and Stability in Nigeria Eghosa E. Osaghae and Rotimi T. Suberu CRISE WORKING PAPER No. 6 January 2005 Dr. Rotimi Suberu: Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria [email protected] Professor Eghosa E. Osaghae: Vice-Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Nigeria [email protected] Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, CRISE Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, 21 St Giles, OX1 3LA, UK Tel: +44 1865 283078; Fax: +44 1865 273607; http://www.crise.ox.ac.uk/ CRISE Working Paper No. 6 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...............................................................................................................4 2. The Nature and Scope of Nigeria’s Identity Diversity................................................5 2.1 Ethnicity.............................................................................................................8 2.2 Religion ...........................................................................................................10 2.3 Regionalism.....................................................................................................12 2.4 Class, Gender, and Youth ...............................................................................13 3. Enduring Patterns of Pre-Colonial and Colonial Conflicts.......................................14 4. Patterns of Post-Colonial Identity Conflicts .............................................................17
    [Show full text]
  • A Discourse on Religious Conflict and Tolerance in Multi-Faith Nigeria
    European Scientific Journal July 2013 edition vol.9, No.20 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 A DISCOURSE ON RELIGIOUS CONFLICT AND TOLERANCE IN MULTI-FAITH NIGERIA S. Awoniyi, PhD Department of Religion and African Culture Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba –Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria Abstract Previous studies have revealed gruesome accounts of horrors in Nigeria, arising from atrocities committed against humanity in God’s name. Scholars have exerted frantic efforts in order to resolve the dilemma with a view to manifesting the spirit of tolerance and peaceful co-existence . However, the grounds still remain uncovered. This is because, the current situation in the country regarding bomb blast and acts of terrorism by the Boko Haram religious sect sends a signal that requires more scholarly attention from local vis-à-vis global perspective. The act of religious terrorism which is suddenly foisted on the people for intrinsic reasons needs more detailed explanation. Therefore, the paper examines the ideological characteristics of religious creeds, historical antecedents of Nigerian situation and its socio-political outlooks. The task facing Nigerians and the path towards resolving the dilemma are discussed. In analyzing the data, a socio-ethical, historical and theological approaches are used. Keywords: Religious Conflict, Multi-faith, Tolerance, National Ethos, Nigeria Introduction The issue of fundamentalism illustrates the fact that religion appears to be associated with conflict in many parts of the world (Haralambos and Holborn 2008). This assertion is equally reinforced by Takaya (1992) when he asserts that the first of religious upheavals in Judeo-Christian tradition is established in the book of Exodus chapter 32:28.
    [Show full text]
  • Major Research Paper the Boko Haram Insurgency - Driving Factors Behind the Existence of the Boko Haram Group in Nigeria
    Major Research Paper The Boko Haram Insurgency - Driving Factors Behind the Existence of the Boko Haram Group in Nigeria Qurat Ul Ain Àrendàs 7912887 API6999: Major Research Paper Supervisor: Professor Rita Abrahamsen July 21, 2016 ABSTRACT This paper explores the factors driving the emergence and evolution of Boko Haram, the Islamist group that has displaced some 2.2 million people and killed close to 20,000 people in Northern Nigeria. It traces the group’s emergence to multiple factors, including Nigeria’s colonial history, political instability, the role of ideology, the North-South divide, and the role of Northern political elites in contributing to the backwardness of Northern Nigeria. The paper also shows how the contemporary insurgency has historical echoes of Islamist groups of the 19th century. Finally, the paper proposes some counter-terrorism strategies to curb violent extremism in Nigeria. Page | ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “It takes billions of years to create a human being. And it takes only a few seconds to die.” ― Jostein Gaarder First, I would like to thank my Supervisor, Professor Rita Abrahamsen, for inspiring me to learn more about African politics and encouraging me to develop an in-depth understanding of issues related to Africa. She has been truly inspirational for me, and I will always remember the remark she made: “there is no one root cause to a conflict”. Second, I would like to thank my spouse, Lajos Arendas, who always provided me with his support and encouragement. Third, I would like to thank all the professors at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and the School of Globalization and International Development at the University of Ottawa.
    [Show full text]
  • Instability in Nigeria: the Domestic Factors
    INSTABILITY IN NIGERIA: THE DOMESTIC FACTORS SELECT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS FROM “THREATS TO NIGERIA’S SECURITY: BOKO HARAM AND BEYOND” JUNE 19, 2012 Select Panel Summary “Instability in Nigeria: The Domestic Factors” From the Conference: Threats to Nigeria’s Security: Boko Haram and Beyond Tuesday, June 19, 2012 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 Domestic Factors of Instability in Nigeria Edited by Caitlin Alyce Buckley Threats to Nigeria’s Security: Boko Haram and Beyond Jamestown Foundation Conference, Washington D.C. - June 19, 2012 Panel One: Domestic Factors of Instability in Nigeria Jacob Zenn “Instability in Northern Nigeria: The View from the Ground” Jamestown Analyst for West African Affairs Dibussi Tande “Beyond Boko Haram: The Rise of Radical/Militant/Extremism Islam in Nigeria & Cameroon” Journalist & Blogger on Nigerian Security Issues Dr. Andrew McGregor “Central African Militant Movements: The Northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon Nexus” The Jamestown Foundation Editor in Chief, Global Terrorism Analysis Mark McNamee “The Niger Delta & The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)” Analyst, The Jamestown Foundation Executive Summary Though Nigeria adopted a constitution in 1999, the country remains plagued with domes- tic instability and violence perpetrated by militant groups. Increased media attention has been given to a militant group that the media named Boko Haram. The group, which calls it- self Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad. According to the classical narrative the group emerged in protest of social inequality, political marginalization and economic ne- glect. Boko Haram is just one of many militant groups such as MEND, which belong to Nige- ria’s long history of military Islam.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Decades of Religious Conflicts in Nigeria: a Recipe for Peace
    Elefie Ikenga-Metuh BETH 6{1:1994 Two Decades Of Religious Conflicts In Nigeria: A Recipe For Peace Emefie Ikenga-Metuh o. Introduction: Trends of Ferocious Riots. Frequently violent religious riots characterized Nigerian socio-religious life during the past two decades. From the 1980 Maitatsine riots in Kano which claimed over 4,177 lives, to the Funtua religious riot of 1993 at which 50 lives were reported lost, there have been no less than fourteen religious riots. Thus, there has been averagely one religious riot every year. A quick survey of these riots shows not only 1 their frequency, but also their ferocity. Although the leader of the Maitatsine sect, Muhammad Murwa was killed during the 1980 uprising, his lieutenants went underground, regrouped, and struck again repeatedly. The first in Oct. 1992, took place simultaneously at Bulunkutu near Maiduguri, Rigasa in Kaduna and parts of Kano states resulting in over 175 deaths including some members of the police force. They struck again in February 1984 in Jimeta, in Gongola state where about 763 casualties were recorded. Yet again in April 1985, in Gombe in Bauchi State, at which many people, Muslims and non-muslims alike were ritually killed and mosques and churches were destroyed. The Maitatsine uprisings though an intra-Muslim conflict (the Maitatsine group claimed to 'be a revivalist though syncretist Islamic movement challenging certain Muslim teachings and practices, as well shall see), appear to have created a precedent. They not only inspired a string of religious riots the country within a decade, but these spilt over and resulted also in inter-religious conflicts.
    [Show full text]