The Nigerian Armed Forces and Sexual Violence in Ogoniland of the Niger Delta Nigeria, 1990–1999

Abstract

Ogoniland in the Niger Delta was subjected to excessive militarization during Nigeria’s military dictatorships. Nigerian Armed Forces used acts of violence and repression, including various forms of sexual violence, as instruments to intimidate the people and ultimately contain the “Ogoni insurgency.” This article reconstructs the history of the military occupation of Ogoniland and the acts of sexual violence perpetrated by Nigerian Armed Forces—an area in which little research has previously been conducted. It examines the factors contributing to acts of violence in the Ogoni conflicts committed with the active complicity of the State in the context of a nationalized conflict. Data for the study were derived from both primary and secondary sources, including in-person and focus group interviews. An imbalance of power relations was identified as the ultimate cause of violent acts, which were used as demonstrations of power and weapons of State terrorism. The wider sociocultural meanings and implications of these violations are diverse, deep-rooted, and altogether utterly destructive to the social fabric of Nigeria. Finally, the unwillingness of the State to engage with this historical episode in Ogoniland could lead to repeated violence in Ogoniland and elsewhere.