Culture does not explain everything that affects a society; but everything that affects society profoundly can produce a culture over time. When violence is strictly criminal, it is often possible to address it through legal means — arrest, prosecution, and punishment. If violence is motivated by ideology, re-education and dialogue may be effective.
However, when criminality and violence are ignored or inadequately addressed, they can morph into a way of life. In such cases, violence is no longer just an act but becomes a reason for being, a source of pleasure, and, disturbingly, even a perceived service to a higher cause. At this point, violence and criminality transcend individual acts and begin to take the form of culture, trapping society in an unending cycle of mayhem.
As violence and insecurity become more prevalent, there comes along a gradual normalisation of criminal behaviours. In the process, roots of criminality — their ideologies, expressions, and power centres — embed themselves deeper into the collective consciousness.
It is tempting to argue that there is a cultural dimension to criminality, suggesting that some groups are predisposed to criminal behaviour. However, this oversimplifies a complex reality. While it is possible to map certain criminal enterprises and violent behaviours to specific demographics, it is not accurate to claim that any group is inherently criminal. Rather, social and cultural factors create environments where criminality and violence are more likely to flourish. When criminality is profitable, it risks being normalised and transferred from one generation to the next.
Nigeria, like many pluralistic societies, is characterised by immense diversity — ethnic, religious, and cultural. While diversity can be a source of strength, it can also foster competition and conflict if not managed inclusively. When groups feel excluded from the benefits of citizenship or perceive that resources are unfairly distributed, tensions rise.
Ethnic and religious boundaries often overlap with economic and political divisions, making it easier for criminality and violence to be justified in the face of denial. These fragmentations along certain identities, undermine national unity. Thus, the nature of the Nigerian state and structure of governance predisposes it to violent formations and insecure national architecture. It is therefore not a surprise that there are traceable ethnic, regional and religious dimensions to violence and insecurity.
Every region of Nigeria seem to have a notable franchise to a dimension of violence and criminality. They each use a brand of violence as leverage for negotiation to gain attention in the national political space. Each part has framed its dissatisfaction with the grand state into ideologies such as Sharia, resource control, restructuring (political and economic) and separatism. In terms of security outcomes, they manifest as religious violence and terrorism, cult wars, political and cultural militancy, sabotage and vandalism. In all cases, agitation is a cry for attention and violence is a tool for negotiating (political) relevance.
The transfer of political power in Nigeria since June 1993 has typically followed ethnic-based violence and agitation. From Southwest based Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) to Niger Delta militancy, it would seem that we have developed a culture of power negotiation by violent engagement. The activities of IPOB in the Southeast are following similar patterns. The power elite in each section draws on the predominating ideologies, generate dissatisfaction narratives that leads to excitable and insecurity outcomes.
Elites and their dependents have turned violence and criminality into big business; insecurity has become a tool for political relevance and power negotiation. The fact is that violence has become big business. To change this situation, government must no longer reward violence in our national polity.
To break the cycle of violence and criminality, urgent and comprehensive action is needed. This includes investing in education, healthcare, and social welfare to provide alternatives for young people, ensuring fair access to resources and opportunities for all groups, and creating jobs to address economic drivers of crime.
It is also vital to promote intergroup dialogue that fosters understanding across diverse communities, reform the justice system for fair and consistent punishment, and empower local leaders and organisations to develop tailored solutions for violence and insecurity.
The urgency of cultural transformation
Nigeria as a pluralistic society is characterised by immense diversity — ethnic, religious, and cultural. While diversity can be a source of strength, it can also foster competition and conflict if not managed inclusively. When groups feel excluded from the benefits of citizenship or perceive that resources are unfairly distributed, tensions rise.
The transformation of criminality and violence into a culture is a real and present danger; it is however, neither inevitable nor irreversible. When violence and insecurity are allowed to fester, they become self-perpetuating, undermining the very foundations of society.
The urgency of the moment demands a decisive shift from a culture of exclusion, impunity, and fragmentation to one of inclusivity, opportunity, and mutual respect. Only by addressing the root causes — social, economic, and political — can we hope to break the cycle and build a society where diversity is managed effectively and every individual has a stake in peace and prosperity.
