Rural Violence in Contemporary Nigeria (Routledge Studies in Peace, Conflict and Security in Africa)

The book explores the pressing problem of rural violence in contemporary Nigeria by assessing the changing patterns of conflict and response across the country.

Rural violence in Nigeria is becoming an increasingly pressing concern, with cattle rustling, banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts putting immense pressure on the state’s institutional preparedness and the response capacity of the government, military and other security agencies. Drawing from the expertise of a wide range of African development, governance and security researchers and practitioners, this book assesses the severity of the current problem of rural violence, and provides a critical analysis of the various national and state responses to rural violence in Nigeria. Ultimately, the book aims to provide suggestions for restoring peace, security and development in Nigeria.

This book will be of interest to scholars, researchers and administrators across Political Science, Security Studies, Rural Studies, and Regional Studies in Africa.

Usman A. Tar is Endowed Professor of Defence and Security Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He is also Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as well as the founding Director of the Centre for Early Warning Studies at the same institution.

Bashir Bala is a doctoral candidate for PhD Strategy and Security Studies at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. He graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom, and thereafter attended Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy for Basic and Advanced Special Operations Courses, China.