The Social and Economic Adjustment of Victims of the 1998 Violent Inter Ethnic Conflict in Toto Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The Bassa-Egbura violent inter-ethnic conflict rendered many people homeless, reduced them to internally displaced persons and inflicted other forms of physical and psychological injuries to others.
It also resulted in the loss of lives and properties. This study investigated the social and economic adjustment and strategies adopted by victims of this conflict.
The conflict perspective was reviewed and adopted as frame of analysis for the better understanding of the social and economic adjustment of victims. A field work was conducted in the three districts of Toto Local Government Area to gain insight into the genesis and extents of the violence conflict.
The researcher administered three hundred (300) structured questionnaires to the internally displaced persons who had returned after the conflict. Focus group discussions were held with members of the ethnic groups such as the Bassa, Egbura, Yoruba, Hausa, Gbaygi and Ibo residing in the area.
The leaders of these ethnic groups also indepthly interviewed about the hardship their people faced and who they considered were worse hit. It was found that the Bassa were the worst affected group. Their people were killed, their properties destroyed. They constituted the majority of the internally displaced persons.
INTRODUCTION
Violent inter – ethnic conflicts constitute one of the major problems of social, economic and political life in Nigeria. Hardly has any region been spared from any form of conflict, even though they differ in prevalence and intensity.
Alubo (2006) noted that in the far north, violent religious disturbances have broken out in Kano, Katsina, Zaria and Kaduna among other places since 1980. In the south-west, there have been violent communal conflicts at Sagamu, Lagos, and Ife-Modakeke.
In the south-east, the Umuleri-Aguleri conflicts were most noticeable. The Toto violent inter-ethnic conflict, the subject of this study occurred in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is evident that violent conflict between ethnic groups is a threat to national integration and development.
Nation building is threatened by inter-ethnic conflicts which undermine the security and political stability, economic developments, protection of human lives and property.
The phenomenon of inter-ethnic violent conflict deserves a study in Nigeria because it leads to destruction of lives and property. This study examines the violent inter-ethnic conflict between the Bassa and Egbura in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State that took place in 1998 with sporadic recurrence up to 2003.
Ethnic group, as a concept ordinarily refers to people who share a common ancestry, common language and common culture Typically, there are common identities, common natural habitat, territoriality and common ancestry.
REFERENCES
Achin, J. (1990) “Jukun-Tiv Crisis: Turn the Sword to
Ploughsahres”. Africa Concord, October, 24 pp.7.
Akinleye, T. T. (1990) The Pains of Boundary Disputes”. Sunday
Times, June 17, pp22.
Alemika, E. E. (2002) “Sociological Analysis of ethnic and religious
conflicts in the middle belt of Nigeria” in Alemika, E. E. O and
Okoye, F. (eds) Ethno – religious Conflict and Democracy in
Nigeria: Challenges; Kaduna, Nigeria: Human Rights Monitor.
Ali W. O. Galadima, H. S. and Wabare, P (2000) Communal Conflict
and Population displacement in Toto Local Government Area,
Nasarawa state. A research report submitted to the centre for
research on peace (PARREP), Nigeria, June 2002.
Alubo, O. (2002) Ethnic Conflicts and Citizenship Crises in the
Central Religion, Nigeria: Programme on Ethnic and Federal
Studies.
Alubo, O. (2001). “Mascre in Tivland”. Newswatch Nov. 3, p. 8
Azar, E. (1990) The Management of Protracted Social Conflict: Theory
and Cases, Nigeria: Aldershot Dartmouth.
Bassa Development Association (Lafia) 2003 “Press Statement by
the Bassa Development Association Lafia Branch on BassEgbura Violent conflict”. Unpublished.
Best, G. and A. Idyrough (2003). “Population Displacement in the
Tiv-Jukum Communal Conflict”, pp. 167-207. In: O. Nnoli (ed)
Communal Conflict and Population in Nigeria Enugu: PARCEP.
Dioka, L. (1995) “Still on Communal Clash”. Nigeria standard, May
31, pp. 9.
Dunmoye, A. R (1995): Ethnicity and Agitation for Creation of
States in the Defunct North western states: As a case Study”.
Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis Submitted to the Department of
Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
StudentsandScholarship Team.
Be the first to comment