Domestic Terrorism and National Development in Nigeria: Unmasking the Real Terrorist

Abstract

The paper examines domestic terrorism and national development in Nigeria, with a view to identify the real terrorists. The paper is of the opinion that the objective conditions prompted by the structural imbalance and the inequities in the Nigerian state led to domestic terrorism in Nigeria. These structural imbalance and inequities find expression in the oppressive, repressive and exploitative tendencies of the Nigerian state as demonstrated by the governing elites. The paper is also of the view that those who perpetrate the objective conditions are the real terrorist and should be treated as such. The paper relied on secondary sources of data. The paper adopted two theoretical frameworks. First is the Marxian political economy which explains the subject-matter within the purview of class antagonism and the primitive accumulation of state resources, opportunities and power by the elite class. Second, is the group theory which explains the plural nature of Nigerian society and the unhealthy competition among the component groups for state resources, opportunities and power. The major finding is that domestic terrorism is antithetical to national development. The paper recommends that the structural imbalance and inequities of the Nigerian state should be redressed and democratic values should be upheld in order to give the component groups a sense of belonging and achieve national development.

Keywords: Domestic Terrorism, National Development, Real      Terrorist, Unmasking, Inequities