How Extremist Attacks Destroy Centuries of Peaceful Coexistence Among Ethnic and Faith Communities in Northern Nigeria.   
— Ubuntu Rooted in Humanity —

Northern Nigeria has historically been a region of rich cultural and religious diversity, where multiple ethnic groups — Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, Tiv, and many others — have coexisted with Christians, Muslims, and adherents of traditional faiths. Markets, schools, and festivals were shared spaces, and intermarriage, trade, and religious dialogue fostered social cohesion over centuries.

However, the rise of extremist groups, particularly Boko Haram, ISWAP, and local bandit militias, has fundamentally disrupted this delicate balance. Communities once united by commerce, culture, and faith are now defined by fear, distrust, and division. The impact is both immediate — death, destruction, and displacement — and long-term, eroding the very social fabric that held Northern Nigeria together.

Understanding this process requires examining the mechanisms through which extremist attacks destabilize communities, exploit identity, and perpetuate cycles of violence, often with the tacit complicity of political and local elites.

1. Direct Violence and Targeted killings

Extremist attacks are deliberately violent, aiming not only to kill but to terrorize entire communities. Villages are raided, markets burned, and civilians massacred.

• Ethnic targeting: Although often framed as religious, attacks frequently exploit existing ethnic rivalries. For example, Fulani herders or Kanuri communities may be specifically targeted based on perceived alignment with extremist factions or political elites.

• Religious targeting: Boko Haram and ISWAP frequently attack Christians or moderate Muslims to assert ideological dominance, creating an impression that communities are under siege from outsiders.

• Symbolic destruction: Mosques, churches, and schools are often burned, sending a message that communal institutions — centers of trust and shared identity — are no longer safe.

This violence fractures the perception of shared space, where markets, schools, and mosques once functioned as neutral ground for cooperation. Once a village experiences massacre or abduction, trust in neighbors and local institutions erodes rapidly.

2. Forced Displacement and Community Fragmentation

Extremist violence often triggers mass displacement, which has profound effects on social cohesion:

• Millions have fled from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Zamfara states. Families are uprooted, traditional leadership structures are disrupted, and local governance becomes ineffective.

• Displaced populations are often segregated by ethnicity or religion in refugee camps or urban settlements, reinforcing division and weakening inter-community bonds.

• Return to home communities becomes perilous, leaving former neighbors disconnected and relationships severed across generations.

Displacement interrupts centuries of peaceful interaction, reducing the opportunities for dialogue, intermarriage, and joint economic activity that historically bound communities together.

3. Exploitation of Identity by Extremist Groups

Extremists deliberately exploit ethnic and religious identities to strengthen their influence:

• Recruitment by manipulation: Young people are often recruited by extremist groups through identity-based rhetoric, convincing them that their faith or ethnicity is under threat.

• Sectarian propaganda: Militant groups exaggerate religious or ethnic divisions to justify attacks and create fear. Christian communities are told Muslims are complicit with insurgents, and vice versa.

• Inter-generational trauma: Over time, children grow up internalizing narratives of “us versus them,” which undermines centuries of coexistence.

Identity becomes a weapon, not merely a label, used to divide communities and legitimize attacks. Even in mixed-faith or multi-ethnic villages, neighbors begin to view each other with suspicion.

4. Economic Disruption and Resource Scarcity

Northern Nigeria’s economy has long depended on agriculture, trade, and pastoralism, activities that require cooperative relationships across ethnic and religious lines:

• Extremist attacks disrupt trade routes and marketplaces, forcing farmers, traders, and herders to abandon traditional economic networks.

• Livestock rustling and destruction of farms pit farmers against herders, sometimes along ethnic lines, turning historical cooperation into bitter conflict.

• Competition for scarce resources in areas under attack is intensified, reinforcing ethnic and religious fault lines.

Economic scarcity, coupled with fear, erodes the interdependence that had previously sustained peaceful coexistence. Communities that once collaborated for mutual survival now compete for safety and resources.

5. Erosion of Traditional Authority and Conflict Resolution Mechanisms

Northern Nigeria has historically relied on traditional leaders, elders, and religious councils to resolve disputes and mediate inter-community conflicts. Extremist attacks weaken these institutions:

• Village elders may be killed, threatened, or forced to flee, removing key mediators.

• Extremist ideology often delegitimizes traditional authority, framing it as un-Islamic or complicit with “oppressors.”

• Local justice systems collapse under pressure, leaving communities without credible mechanisms for reconciliation.

Without these mediators, even minor disagreements escalate into violent clashes, reinforcing the perception that communities are natural enemies rather than partners.

6. Psychological Trauma and the Breakdown of Trust

The psychological effects of extremist violence are profound:

• Survivors experience trauma that manifests as suspicion, fear, and hostility toward neighbors.

• Witnessing abductions, killings, or torture creates collective memory of betrayal, even if neighbors were not directly complicit.

• Communities may form protective enclaves, avoiding inter-ethnic or interfaith contact, further fragmenting social cohesion.

Over time, trust — the glue of centuries of coexistence — is replaced by fear. Children and youth inherit a culture of suspicion, making reconciliation more difficult in the long term.

7. Political Exploitation of Insecurity

The persistence of extremist violence is often politically exploited:

• Politicians may use insecurity to weaken rival communities, manipulating narratives for electoral advantage.

• Some local elites are accused of colluding with bandits or extremist networks, selectively allowing violence to occur or targeting political opponents.

• Religious rhetoric is amplified to divide communities further, ensuring dependence on state-sanctioned elites for protection.

In effect, extremism becomes a tool to fragment society, allowing power to be maintained through chaos rather than governance.

8. Long-Term Consequences for Inter-Community Relations

The cumulative impact of extremist attacks on Northern Nigeria is staggering:

• Centuries of peaceful coexistence are undermined: Villages once interwoven through marriage, trade, and cultural festivals are now divided along faith and ethnic lines.

• Trust in the state erodes: When governments fail to protect citizens, communities rely on identity-based survival strategies, reinforcing division.

• Cycles of revenge and retaliation emerge: Attacks often provoke reprisals, further entrenching enmity between ethnic and religious groups.

• Generational trauma persists: Children growing up amid violence inherit fear and hostility, making post-conflict reconciliation extremely difficult.

The social fabric, once resilient and multi-ethnic, is being redefined by fear, suspicion, and segregation.

9. Paths to Rebuilding Peaceful Coexistence

Rebuilding trust and coexistence requires multi-layered interventions:

1. Strengthening security and governance to protect communities and restore confidence in state institutions.

2. Economic rehabilitation programs that restore interdependence and cooperative trade relationships across ethnic and religious lines.

3. Community-based reconciliation initiatives, facilitated by neutral elders and civil society actors, emphasizing shared history and Ubuntu principles.

4. Education and trauma counseling for youth and displaced populations to counter extremist narratives and rebuild social trust.

5. Accountability for collusion and sponsorship, ensuring that local elites cannot exploit insecurity for political or economic gain.

Reconstruction is not merely physical — it is social, psychological, and cultural, requiring long-term commitment.

Extremism as a Threat to Shared Humanity

Extremist attacks in Northern Nigeria do more than kill and displace; they destroy centuries of peaceful coexistence, replacing trust with suspicion, cooperation with competition, and shared identity with fear. Both ethnic and faith communities are victims, yet narratives often simplify the violence as purely religious or ethnic conflict, obscuring the deeper dynamics of power, governance failure, and elite manipulation.

Healing Northern Nigeria will require not just security operations but Ubuntu-inspired approaches that restore trust, rebuild inter-community relations, and reclaim the centuries-old tradition of coexistence that made the region resilient. Until this is addressed, the cycles of violence will continue to reshape communities, divide neighbors, and fracture society at its very roots.