Youth Radicalization and the Future of Terrorism in Nigeria

Abstract

Radicalization of youth is becoming one of the most important threats to national and international security in the world today. Socially isolated, disenchanted young men turn to extremism in their search for identity, acceptance and purpose. Radicalization is a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that reject or undermine the status quo or reject and or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice. Radicalization is therefore seen as the process that leads to violence which, in the final analysis is what distinguishes a terrorist from other extremists. This process occurs over time and causes a fundamental change in how people view themselves and the world in which they live. In Nigeria, the problem of youth radicalization is rising and very few attempts have been made toward understanding this problem. Hence, the exact ature of this process is still misunderstood with researchers having developed a number of different theories and conceptual models that seek to explain the process. This paper addresses the phenomenon of youth radicalization and its implication for the future of terrorism in Nigeria.