International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue XII, December 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Nexus Between the Media and Countering Terrorism in Nigeria: A Discourse
Raphael Olugbenga ABIMBOLA, Ph.D.
Department of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
Abstract: Terrorism has assumed a global dimension sparing no part of the world. Almost every part of the globe has had its unfortunate share of the menace of terrorism in this 21st Century. In the last two decades (2001-2021, terrorism has spread from the Middle-East to America, Europe, Africa and other parts of the world with successful deadly attacks resulting in humongous fatalities. Major actors in terrorism include the terrorist groups, their sponsors, governments’ security forces, the victims and the media. Because of the important role the media play in the public space, this discourse examines the symbiotic relationship between the media and terrorism with reference to Nigeria. Anchored on the theories of agenda-setting, news framing and priming, the paper examines the nature of terrorism, purpose of terrorism, causes of terrorism, terrorism and organized crime, symbiotic relationship between media and terrorism, and ultimately the role of the media in combating terrorism in the world in general and Nigeria in particular. Cases of some notable terrorist attacks as reported in the Nigerian media were cited as illustrations.
Keywords: Terrorism, Media, Organized crime, Symbiotic relationship, Case studies
I. INTRODUCTION
Terrorism, formerly restricted to the Middle East in decades past, has assumed a global dimension sparing no part of the world. Almost every part of the globe has had its unfortunate share of the menace of terrorism in this 21st Century. As a matter of fact, terrorism has in the last two decades (2001-2021), spread from the Middle-East to America, Europe, Africa and other parts of the world with successful deadly attacks resulting in humongous fatalities. Major actors in terrorism include the terrorist groups, their sponsors, governments’ security forces, the victims and the media. The media, being the fastest route to public space, are being courted by both state and non-state actors as well as the citizens. To this end, terrorist groups also covet the media for the purpose of propagating their activities. According to the Council of Europe (2017), “New dynamics of terrorism and the move to an increasingly digital and social media environment, with its wide reach and unprecedented speed with which information spreads across online channels, in particular pose a serious challenge to reporting on the issue.” This paper, therefore, attempts a discourse on nexus between the media and countering terrorism in Nigeria.