Infiltration of Herdsmen Brand Terrorism in Bayelsa State, Nigeria: Security Implications for West Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17605/cajssh.v5i4.1120Keywords:
Contagion theory, Domino effect, Herdsmen, Security, Terrorism, West Africa regionAbstract
The violent expansion of armed herdsmen into Bayelsa State, Nigeria, highlights the unchecked spread of herdsmen activities across the country, raising critical security concerns for West Africa. This study, framed by Le Bon's contagion theory, explores how emotional contagion and social amplification fuel the conflict. Using a qualitative approach, data were sourced from secondary materials such as books, journals, and government reports, and analyzed through content analysis. The results show that the ongoing crisis could lead to increased violence, displacement, and humanitarian issues, threatening regional stability. The study calls for enhanced regional security cooperation, addressing the root causes of the conflict, and promoting dialogue. It also identifies state complicity and weak governance as aggravating factors, recommending greater accountability from authorities to prevent further escalation.
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[3] Africa Center for Strategic Studies, "African Conflicts Displace Over 40 Million People," Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Oct. 2023. https://africacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/African-Conflicts-Displace-Over-40-Million-People.pdf
[4] E. J. Alagoa, The Land and People of Bayelsa State: Central Niger Delta, Onyoma Research Publications, 1999.
[5] V. Azarya, "Pastoralism and the State in Africa: Marginality or Incorporation?" Nomadic Peoples, pp. 11-36, 1996.
[6] D. A. Baldwin, "The Concept of Security," Review of International Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 5-26, 1997.
[7] Bayelsa’s New Grazing Law Seeks to End Herders/Farmers Clashes, Daily Trust, 2021. https://dailytrust.com/bayelsas-new-grazing-law-seeks-to-end-herders-farmers-clashes/
[8] J. L. Bazán, Fulani Militias’ Terror: Compilation of News (2017-2020), Academia.edu, 2020. https://independent.academia.edu/JLBAZAN
[9] L. Brottem, "The Growing Complexity of Farmer-Herder Conflict in West and Central Africa," Africa Security Brief, issue 39, pp. 1–8, 2021.
[10] E. C. Chinwokwu, "Glamorization of Fulani Herdsmen's Criminality and Its Implications on National Security in Nigeria," Online Journal of Arts, Management and Social Sciences (OJAMSS), vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 29-51, 2017.
[11] I. Davis, "Armed Conflict and Peace Processes in Sub-Saharan Africa," in SIPRI Yearbook 2021, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Oxford University Press, 2021.
[12] A. M. Graziano and M. L. Raulin, Research Methods: A Process of Inquiry, 6th ed., Pearson, 2007.
[13] C. Gürer, "Presenting a Strategic Model to Understand Spillover Effects of ISIS Terrorism," Connections, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 41–58, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26326480
[14] G. E. Ifidi and U. J. Makbere, "Infiltration of Herdsmen Brand Terror in Bayelsa, Nigeria: Assessing Government Policies," American Journal of Social and Humanitarian Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 202–216, 2024. https://globalresearchnetwork.us/index.php/ajshr
[15] International Crisis Group, "Herders Against Farmers: Nigeria’s Expanding Deadly Conflict," International Crisis Group, issue 252, 2017. https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria/252-herders-against-farmers-nigerias-expanding-deadly-conflict
[16] International Crisis Group, "Stopping Nigeria’s Spiralling Farmer-Herder Violence," International Crisis Group, issue 262, 2018. https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/252-nigerias-spreading-herder-farmer-conflict.pdf
[17] International Crisis Group, "The Risk of Jihadist Contagion in West Africa," International Crisis Group, issue 149, pp. 1–16, 2019. https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/b149-jihadi-west-africa.pdf
[18] R. Jackson and G. Sorensen, Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches, 5th ed., Oxford University Press, 2013.
[19] G. Le Bon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, 1895. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/125518/1414_LeBon.pdf
[20] A. Marc, N. Verjee, and S. Mogaka, The Challenge of Stability and Security in West Africa, Africa Development Forum Series, World Bank, 2015. https://doi.org/doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-0464-9
[21] M. Moritz and M. Mbacke, "The Danger of a Single Story about Fulani Pastoralists," Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 12, no. 14, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-021-00227-z
[22] S. Ochoche, "Electoral Violence and National Security in Nigeria," African Peace Review, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 27-35, 1997.
[23] B. H. Odalonu and E. F. Obani, "The Impact of Militancy, Insurgency and Forced Displacement on Nigerian Economy," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, vol. 2, issue X, pp. 1-8, 2018. https://www.rsisinternational.org
[24] E. A. Oghuvbu and O. B. Oghuvbu, "Farmers-Herdsmen Conflict in Africa: The Case of Nigeria," Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 698–706, 2020. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2020-20-4-698-706
[25] J. Palik, A. M. Obermeier, and S. A. Rustad, "Conflict Trends in Africa, 1989 - 2021," Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), 2022. www.prio.org
[26] United Nations Development Programme, "2023-2024 Human Development Index," Human Development Report, 2024. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI
[27] United Nations Statistics Division, "Composition of Macro Geographical (Continental) Regions, Geographical Sub-regions, and Selected Economic and Other Groupings," United Nations, 2012. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#africa
[28] J. Van Ness and E. Summers-Effler, "Reimagining Collective Behavior," in S. Abrutyn, Ed., Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory, Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp. 527-546. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32250-6_25
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Published
2024-09-07
How to Cite
Ifidi, G. E. ., & Makbere, U. J. . (2024). Infiltration of Herdsmen Brand Terrorism in Bayelsa State, Nigeria: Security Implications for West Africa. Central Asian Journal of Social Sciences and History, 5(4), 209–221. https://doi.org/10.17605/cajssh.v5i4.1120
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