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Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the unique case of coping and survival among Nigerian military widows of the Boko Haram conflict. It looks at their modes and methods of daily survival in the absence of state, associational, and family support after their husbands' deaths.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the unique case of coping and survival among Nigerian military widows of the Boko Haram conflict. It looks at their modes and methods of daily survival in the absence of state, associational, and family support after their husbands' deaths. It also examines how they have managed the cultural demands of widowhood in a patriarchal African society that wields different forms of structural and cultural violence against women.

This paper finds that women largely relied on their extended families and social charities for support. This was in the face of limited state and associational support provided by their Association, the Nigerian military widows Association. While families provided bonding capital that helped women cope and survive, this was limited by the cultural demands placed on widows in African societies. The bonding social capital provided by families was often eroded by the traditional practices that occasioned widowhood, such as property inheritance, forced remarriage, and other forms of social vulnerability and stigmatization. Hence, the women resorted to other coping resources, such as spirituality, resilience, and personal strength to cope with the loss. However, their narratives as widows of fallen soldiers exemplify one of neglect and abandonment by the Nigerian state and society.