Religious conflict in Nigeria: towards a re-awakening of the prophetic voice

Abstract

Much work has been carried out in respect of religious conflict in Nigeria. Most of it focuses on perpetrators of collective violence, and the consequences on the victims, who are generally caught in the web of the pact between the instigators and perpetrators. These two visible parties in the conflict usually receive wide coverage and public attention, no less also from the church. However, little or no space has been devoted to the powerful roles of the instigators in the conflict. Through the gristmill of needs theory, it is argued that the most important cause of religious conflict in Nigeria is the unsatisfied wants of the instigators who use the army of socioeconomically deprived perpetrators to deploy violence. Just as the government has the onerous task to expose and punish the instigators and perpetrators of conflict, so does the church have the right to challenge the government to be alive to its responsibilities.