Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

In the last four decades, there has been an increased incidence across the globe of the emergence and activities of militia groups. Admittedly, the magnitude of this violence is staggering and Africa is by far the continent most affected by collective violence. One of the most salient characteristics of ethnic militias is the use of religion in the recruitment and initiation of members, as well as a means of sustaining their activities. In Nigeria, religion has provided a parallel for motivating and sustaining the activities of ethnic militias and has also become a dominant variable propelling act of resistance that most times snowballs into violent conflict when not properly managed. Thus, while other scholars may perceive the invocation of ancestral spirits as symbolized by the Egbesu and Azhilli deity of the Ijawand Eggon ethnic group as representing the normative pattern and religious beliefs of the people, their crucial role in emboldening, empowering and engendering the struggle is believed to be facilitated by their marginalization within the Nigerian federal system. This paper therefore contends that, the asymmetric power between the Nigerian state and these militias may have privileged the invocation of the supernatural as a critical agency of strength and courage.

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