EMPIRICAL CASE STUDIES OF RELIGIOUS CONFLICT IN NIGERIA AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Abstract

The aims of the paper are to find out the causes, implications and possible solutions of religious conflicts in Nigeria. The methodology of the study is qualitative content analysis of aggregate data gathered from secondary sources. The study reveals that religious in Nigeria claimed people’s lives and loss of property worth billions of Naira. The conflict did not help Nigerians in terms of growth, development and political stability of the country. The paper also adopted intractable conflict theory in the course of investigation in order to guide it. However, the paper recommends that education, tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation among others should serve as tools with which to douse the social violence that emerges from the practice of religion in Nigeria. This will ensure peaceful coexistence of Christians, Muslims, Traditionalists and members of other religions. This would also help in the restoration of peace, security, growth and stability order in Nigeria as a nation. Today, in Nigeria religion is use by extremist to cause conflict among people of the same community and other communities. To that extent therefore, the paper presents the empirical case studies of religious conflict that Nigeria have witness in the past years and proffers a possible solution to the said conflict so as to enable the country have a peaceful co-existence.