CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Nigerians have been faced with a lot of problems emanating from disorderliness, confusion and the latest insecurity development. To be precise, the first problem Nigeria encountered was the military intervention in the Nigeria’s polity. The military administrations which were the fall-outs of the coups and counter coups marked the beginning of the country’s calamities and misfortunes. These were followed by the claims and agitations for resource control by the Niger-Delta region, which in practical term means demand for larger shares of the oil revenue. The inability of the government to meet up with such demand, led to the militant groups from the region taking arms and waged war against Nigerians. The timely intervention of late President Alhaji Yar’Adua helped to quench the burning flame ignited by the militants. Nigerians got relieved following the introduction of amnesty policy into Nigeria’s political and democratic structures by the same Yar’Adua administration.

Unexpectedly, there arose in most recent time, a disorder of a serious religious dimension in the country. The dangerous trend in insecurity came with the emergence of Boko Haram, the Muslim fundamentalist sect, bombing and attacking everything within reach. According to reports, multiple explosions went off one after the other in places like Kano, in the usual manner of attacks by the members of Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum, Gombe, Abuja and Madalla in Niger State (Okpaga, Ugwu and Eme, 2012:77). They attacked government institutions and later expanded to churches thereby inflicting terror and destruction on innocent people. Suicide bombing of the United Nations Secretariat in Abuja on August 26, 2011 did not happen long after a similar attack on the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters on June 16. Boko Haram otherwise called “Western education is sin,” claimed responsibilities for these and other series of bomb blasts and attacks. It is observed that the sect concentrated its attacks in the northern parts of the country.

In well-established global religions such as Christianity and Islam, there exist ideologies and doctrines that are so diverse and complex that justification for both violence and peace can be found within their traditions. It is for this reason that virtually all religions have at different times and places been associated either with conflict or peace. In his Terror in the Mind of God, Mark Juergensmeyer (2003) argues that all global religions have had a violent perspective. Clearly, therefore, religion, violence and peace have been natural companions throughout human history. But for some time now, the coursing of militant Islamism in the hands of minority extremists in the name of Islam has grown, with no continent left untouched. Surely, this Islamic militancy, as should be expected, has left the affected people (Muslims and non-Muslims) shocked, angry and uncomprehending. As Esposito notes, Islamic terrorism builds on the fact that Islam emphasizes action given that Muslims are enjoined “to struggle (jihad) to implement their belief, to lead a good life, to defend religion, to contribute to the development of a just Islamic society throughout the world.” (Esposito 2002, p. 5). In this present context of Muslim extremism and ensuing terrorism, the word jihad is used by terrorist movements such as Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Islamic State, and the like to legitimate their cause and motivate their followers.

With its historical roots traced to 2002 and fed along by frustration on account of political, economic, social and religious issues, the Boko Haram insurgency became a threatening episode from 2009, with civilian casualties, fear and material damages heightening tremendously. By the time the terrorist acts of the sect began spilling over into neighbouring countries like Cameroon, its scope of operation had gone beyond the easy civilian targets including government institutions especially police and military establishments. But given that the terrorist movement is partly couched in religious terms, as its leaders claim, Christians and Muslims were targeted in churches and mosques through suicide bombings, direct attacks by armed insurgents, kidnappings and the like. Indeed, its declared religious agenda was/is to establish a pure Islamic state across West Africa governed under the Sharia Law (Asfura-Heim & MaQuaid 2015). This is indicative that Christianity together with its faithful and property was under attack. It is important to stress that the victimization of Christian organizations by perpetrators of terrorism is not a new phenomenon. In fact, since the rise and spread of Boko Haram into Nigeria, churches, their clergy and faithful have suffered at the hands of insurgents. They have been targeted through suicide bombings, gun attacks, kidnappings, rape, and the like.

This openly declared religious agenda along with the growth and spread of the cataclysmic activities of the movement in Nigeria, just like in cameroon, Niger and Chad, was an issue that could not be allowed to run its course unperturbed. Without doubt, the Boko Haram insurgency was/is threatening Cameroon’s peace, and required a committed engagement in its management. As the Nigeria Government fully embraced its responsibility of protecting the citizenry by deploying the military to curb the insurgence, it soon became obvious that the military approach was hugely inappropriate, given that the group has no clear command structure and a known regular force. Consequently, a holistic proactive peace approach became necessary and the greatly affected Christian Church was required to come on board. In fact, tapping from Christianity’s potential to respond to the Boko Haram insurgency became indispensable. This is perhaps why in his Christian Response to Islam, Islamism and ‘Islamic Terrorism’, Chapman (2007) calls for a cautious Christian response to the terror orchestrated in the name of Islam. Good enough, Boko Haram’s multiple assaults on Christian life and property in Nigeria quickly served as a basis for Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal churches to consider the vocation of peace as a response.

So, besides being targets, the Christian clergy have played a role in responding to the terrorism carried out by Boko Haram as educators, advocates, humanitarians, etc. Building on scriptural texts, they do what might be likened to what Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana (2009) describe as changing behaviours, attitudes, negative stereotypes, healing trauma among others.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

There is consensus in the literature that the Christian faith, just like other religions, is replete with resources that may influence the effectiveness of any conflict management and resolution effort. But so far scholars have not given the required attention to the imprint of the insurgency on the Christian church in Nigeria. The churches’ response to the brutality of the militant Islamic group is equally marginalized in available scholarship. Rather attention has been received by the origins, development, mutations, and implications of insurgent activities like the Boko Haram activities along with the international struggle against the insurgency. This paucity of literature on the effect of insurgency on church growth necessitated this study. In this light, this study examines the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The main aim of the study is to examine the effect of insurgency on church growth. Other specific objectives include:

1. to determine the relationship between insurgency and church growth in Nigeria.

2. to examine the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria.

3. to identify factors that militate against church growth in Nigeria.

4. to ascertain the psychological and social impact of insurgency on church member in Nigeria.

5. to proffer solution to the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

1. what is the relationship between insurgency and church growth in Nigeria?

2. what is the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria?

3. what are factors that militate against church growth in Nigeria?

4. what is the psychological and social impact of insurgency on church member in Nigeria?

5. what is the solution to the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria?

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

1. H0: insurgency has no significant effect on church growth in Nigeria.

2. H1: insurgency has significant effect on church growth in Nigeria.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The findings of the study will be beneficial to churches especially the ones in Nigeria. It will serve as an enlightening tool to the damage insurgency has on the growth of the church as well as tactics to employ in dealing with the effect of insurgency on the growth of the church.

This study is timely because it provides measures to tackle or avoid insurgency, which is still an on-going challenge for Nigeria as well as other countries of the world. The study will be of benefits to the government of the federal republic of Nigeria on the urgent need to tackle insurgency in the country in order to maintain peace, unity, and prosperities as well as measures to employ in dealing with insurgency in the country which will promote socio-economic development of the nation. Ending insurgency will also help to restore the good image of the country as against the present perspective of the nation as one bedeviled with high level of insurgency and insecurity.

The study will contribute to existing literature on the effect of insurgency on church growth as well as serve as a research tool for further findings by other researchers.

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The scope of study will cover the effect of insurgency on church growth in Nigeria.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1. Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, and interview).

2. Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

It is the power to produce results, efficacy, force, and influence. the state of being operative or functional; operation or execution; accomplishment or fulfillment.

Insurgency: An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority. The state or condition of being insurgent or insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent. Rebellion within a group as by members against leaders.

Insurgency is a protracted political-military struggle directed toward subverting or displacing the legitimacy of a constituted government or occupying power and completely or partially controlling the resources of a territory through the use of irregular military forces and illegal political organizations. The common denominator for most insurgent groups is their objective of gaining control of a population or a particular territory, including its resources. This objective differentiates insurgent groups from purely terrorist organizations. It is worth noting that identifying a movement as an insurgency does not convey a normative judgment on the legitimacy of the movement or its cause; the term insurgency is simply a description of the nature of the conflict.

Church: a building for public and especially Christian worship

Growth: the act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase. size or stage of development.