Post-election Revival of Violence and Insecurity in Nigeria

As Nigeria’s general election approached in 2023, there was a substantial reduction in insecurity in the country. However, in the month of March 2023, after the presidential and governorship elections, there was a resumption of insecurity such as the farmer-herder conflict (Benue, Oyo), gun men attack (Imo, Lagos, Adamawa, Delta, Nasarawa, Kogi) banditry and Kidnapping (Zamfara, Kaduna), cultism (Ekiti, Enugu). What could have paused the violence for a while and allowed the elections to take place and resume after that? Perhaps, some of the factors could be a more conscious deployment of security forces and the hope of inclusion by aggrieved groups through elections. This temporary compromise may be explained as an opportunity for the failing Nigerian state to withdraw from the edge or a negotiated ceasefire to enable the dominant elite’s political wing to formalise their state capture through elections before the resumption of anarchy.

In this edition of Nextier Policy Weekly, we reflect on the post-election resurgence of violence vis a vis the relative peace before and during the 2023 general election.

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