IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v4y2020i12p61-66.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Militia Counterinsurgency: Implications of Pro-government Militia Participation in Counterinsurgency in Northeast Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Modu Lawan Gana

    (Department of Public Administration, Mai Idris Alooma Polytechnic, Geidam, Yobe State, Nigeria)

Abstract

This article analyzed the implications of pro-government militias’ participation in the counterinsurgency operation in northeast Nigeria. The militias that that has been engaged in the counterinsurgency operation since 2013 appeared influential in the reduction of the Islamist Boko Haram hostilities in the northeast. Prior to the pro-government militia participation, the counterinsurgency campaign of the State is challenged with lackadaisical performances. However, even as the militias are successful, there is still growing fear that the continued engagement of the militias has adverse consequences on the autonomy of the state and the community. This case study, therefore, investigated the implications of the militias’ involvement in the counterinsurgency operation in Yobe State of northeast Nigeria. The empirical data collected through the techniques of an in-depth interview, focus group discussion, and on the site non-participatory observation. The primary data was triangulated with secondary data from published materials. The study revealed that in the absence of urgent authoritative action to regularize the militias, they will post imminent threats to the stability of the state and their immediate communities. In addition to the instigation of ethnic polarization, the militia will incubate internal feuds, hence destabilizing the peace situation of the communities. The study recommends the government to take urgent measures to verify the participants and weed bad eggs among them. The government should also provide legal procedures for their operations and recruitment process to curtail abuse and excessiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Modu Lawan Gana, 2020. "Militia Counterinsurgency: Implications of Pro-government Militia Participation in Counterinsurgency in Northeast Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 4(12), pages 61-66, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:4:y:2020:i:12:p:61-66
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-4-issue-12/61-66.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/virtual-library/papers/militia-counterinsurgency-implications-of-pro-government-militia-participation-in-counterinsurgency-in-northeast-nigeria/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William Reno, 2002. "The Politics of Insurgency in Collapsing States," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 33(5), pages 837-858, November.
    2. Geraint Hughes, 2016. "Militias in internal warfare: From the colonial era to the contemporary Middle East," Small Wars and Insurgencies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 196-225, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sabine Otto, 2018. "The Grass Is Always Greener? Armed Group Side Switching in Civil Wars," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 62(7), pages 1459-1488, August.
    2. Matthew R DiGiuseppe & Colin M Barry & Richard W Frank, 2012. "Good for the money," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 49(3), pages 391-405, May.
    3. Yvan Guichaoua, 2009. "How Do Ethnic Militias Perpetuate in Nigeria? A Micro-level Perspective on the Oodua People’s Congress," Research Working Papers 19, MICROCON - A Micro Level Analysis of Violent Conflict.
    4. Patricia Justino, 2009. "The Impact of Armed Civil Conflict on Household Welfare and Policy Responses," Research Working Papers 12, MICROCON - A Micro Level Analysis of Violent Conflict.
    5. David M Malone & Heiko Nitzschke, 2010. "Economic Agendas in Civil Wars: What We Know, What We Need to Know," Working Papers id:3226, eSocialSciences.
    6. Guichaoua, Yvan, 2010. "How Do Ethnic Militias Perpetuate in Nigeria? A Micro-level Perspective on the Oodua People's Congress," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 1657-1666, November.
    7. Konstantin Ash, 2022. "State weakness and support for ethnic violence in Southern Kyrgyzstan," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 59(6), pages 860-875, November.
    8. Matsumoto, Mitsuko, 2016. "Three strands of explanations on root causes of civil war in low-income and weak states in sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for education," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-10.
    9. Patricia Justino, 2006. "On the Links between Violent Conflict and Chronic Poverty: How Much Do We Really Know?," HiCN Working Papers 18, Households in Conflict Network.
    10. Rebecca Davies, 2010. "Development challenges for a resurgent African diaspora," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 10(2), pages 131-144, April.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:4:y:2020:i:12:p:61-66. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.