SECULARISM, RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM AND LAND GRABBING FRIGHTS

Chidiebere James Onwutuebe

Department of International Relations, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State

Abstract

Nigeria is a secular state, in spite of multiple threats and disparaging questions regarding the country’s secularism. However, while the label of secularism on Nigeria’s constitution creates the impression of accommodation, tolerance and liberty of religious groups and sects, the reality of recurring interreligious acrimonies ridicules the claim. Religious extremism and land grabbing frights are among the numerous challenges undermining the image of Nigeria’s secularism. Recent reports reveal that fears of land grabbing which are linked to the operations of killer-herdsmen have increased. Nigerians have witnessed high level violent conflicts, destruction of property and wanton loss of lives. Non-pastoral communities in southern and north-central states of Nigeria where Christianity is dominant and migrant cattle herding is uncommon believe that quests for religious dominance and fears associated with land grabbing are responsible for the frequent invasion of their communities. This study interrogates ways in which longstanding perceptions of religious extremism and land grabbing frights fuel crises of secularism in Nigeria. It argues that acts of estrangement against the principles of secularism by any religious sect in a heterogenous society is a harbinger for protracted intergroup hostility and violent conflicts. The paper interrogates the worsening security challenges plaguing migrant herders as they traverse non-pastoral communities of southern and north-central states of Nigeria where Christianity is popular. It relies on secondary data as well as thematic content analysis. The study also draws attention to ways in which unguarded government policies and development projects which are, directly or indirectly, susceptible to diverse religious (re)interpretations pose huge threats to secularism.

Keywords: Land Grabbing, Migrant Herding, Southern and North-Central States, Non-Pastoral Christian Communities, Religious Fundamentalism