Insurgents and Their Acts: Understanding the Armed Groups in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Insurgency in the Niger Delta is a recurring decimal, cutting across the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history of the region. Though, causes of armed uprising in the Niger Delta vary significantly, however, the discovery of crude oil had changed the nomenclature of conflicts in the region. As the ill feeling of neglect, marginalization, environmental degradation, water pollution, youth unemployment and monumental poverty even in the midst of plenty became the springboard that encouraged the armed uprising and brought about the emergence of sophisticated armed groups in the region. Hence this study will examine the Niger Delta insurgents and their acts, while evaluating the recruitment strategy of the insurgents, the source of arms, funding and the military training of the Niger Delta insurgent as well as other logistical prowess. Using both primary and secondary data, this study argues that contemporary armed groups in the Niger Delta region are increasingly more sophisticated in terms of training, information gathering and weaponry including enhance ICT tech. Thus, any effort to curb incessant arm uprising in the Niger Delta region must provide employment opportunities, education platforms and above all an enabling environment for peace to strive in the Niger Delta.