Factors Responsible for Youth Radicalization in Yobe State, Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and De¬-Radicalization Strategies¬

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VII, July 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Factors Responsible for Youth Radicalization in Yobe State, Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and De-Radicalization Strategies

Abdulkarim Alhaji Isa*, Mustapha Muhammed, Yahaya Abdullahi Geidam and Alkali Mohammed Grema
Department of General Studies Mai Idris Alooma Polytechnic, Geidam, Yobe State
*Correspondence author

Abstract
The objective of this research is to investigate the factors responsible for youth radicalization in Yobe State, Nigeria. The study adopted social structure and anomie theory. A sample size of 315 respondents was selected through multi-stage sampling which includes; cluster sampling, purposive sampling, simple random sampling technique for qualitative data, and quantitative data were collected through questionnaire and in-depth interview respectively. Thus, the analysis was mixed method. The study found out that the extent of youth radicalization in Yobe State is very high because more youths are being recruited. Illiteracy, ignorance, poverty, religious manipulation, globalisation, unemployment, injustice and political interests are some of the factors that motivated the youths to join radicalized groups. Consequences of youth radicalization include; destruction of lives, valuable properties, displacement of families and widespread public panic. To address youth radicalization in Yobe State, the study recommended that education, enlightenment, provision of employment, protecting the youths from extremist views spread by less knowledgeable preachers, community policing, guidance and counseling of arrested radicalized youths and use of intelligence gathering safeguard the border from foreign influences.

Keywords: Radicalization, Boko Haram, Factors responsible for youth radicalization, Causes, Consequences and Deradicalization strategies

Introduction

Radicalisation is a subject that has attracted the attention of the global communication, hence a subject of deliberation for government officials, media practitioners, scholars and security officials. This is because the problem has become pervasive around the world. Countries like Nigeria that used to only watch the rise of radicalization on other parts of the world are now witnessing the upsurge of some youth militant groups that became obvious source of threats to the Nigeria’s collective security. Formation of radical militants, such as Maitatsine, in the 1982, and some recent movements like MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta), OPC (Odua People Congress), and MASSOB (Movement for the Actualizations of the Sovereign State of Biafra), in various regions of the country have already took place with their violent agitations, but the most active militant group in the present Yobe State North-east in particular and Nigeria in general is Boko Haram.
However, there had been several civil resistances that led to conflicts between powerful authorities and some segment of societies since colonial Nigeria. In the post-colonial era, there were some historic events that were predictably having tendency to lead to insurgency.

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