VIOLENT SECTARIAN CONFLICTS IN NIGERIA: WHY A SOLUTION SEEMS FAR

Nigeria has continued to experience violent sectarian conflicts and it is worrisome that it continues to be on the increase. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as the challenges of preventing such conflicts are enormous. This is especially true because even with the presence of a legal framework for the prevention of such conflicts, Nigeria is still experiencing an increase which poses questions as to the efficacy of the laws in place and if other factors are responsible. Several factors are often responsible for the increase such as the complex nature of sectarianism, human rights challenges, religion, poverty and unemployment, illiteracy amongst others pose a challenge to curbing of violent sectarian conflicts. It can also be safely asserted that there are factors that limit the implementation of the legal frame work as there is no gainsaying the fact that for any meaningful impact of such laws to be felt in the country, the system put in place must be working effectively. The paper examined the challenges of the prevention of violent sectarian conflicts in Nigeria and argued that these factors are responsible for the prevalence of such conflicts.