Gender Based Violence Dimension of Terrorism in Nigeria: A Critique

Abstract

Terrorism is a criminal act that has devastated and destabilized many nations of the world. It has now become a daily occurrence in North East Nigeria, the most alarming and worrisome aspect of the Nigerian insurgency is the gender based violence dimension it assumed since 2012 the Nigerian Police arrested some of the wives and children of Boko Haram leaders in a bid to hit back at the terrorists. The sect has ever since continued to unleash violence on the defenceless and innocent Nigerian female genders apparently in retaliation of the Nigerian Police arrest of their wives and children, who were not found to have any linkage with the alleged terrorist attacks by their husbands and fathers. A typical example of such retaliatory gender based violence was the subsequent abduction of 200 Chibok girls sometime in April 2014 till date. The paper highlights and examines the gender rights violations dimension of the current insurgency in Nigeria. It observes that the female genders are now used as pawns in the insurgency as a galaxy of their legally guaranteed rights are grossly infringed and violated. It   further criticizes this awful trend and proffers recommendations on how the abate this violent trend targeted against the female genders.

Keywords: Key Words Gender, Violence, Terrorism, Nigeria, Human Rights, Boko Haram. Constitution

ugu: FDP publishers (1994) .