Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the escalating violence and insecurity across communities in northern Nigeria. Banditry, kidnapping, Boko Haram and farmer-herder conflicts occur to varying degrees. It stresses the need for applying decolonial methodologies in analysing the impact of these conflicts on women.

Paper long abstract:

The UK and Nigerian national agendas relating to women, security and peace (reflecting UN Sustainable Development Goals (Resolution 1325) emphasise the importance of women in development, security, peace, and conflict resolution. This is set against, escalating violent conflict and insecurity across states and communities in Nigeria. Banditry, kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, indigenous-settler disputes, intra- and intergroup conflicts, and farmer-herder conflicts occur to varying degrees across the country. Women are disproportionately impacted by these violent acts and yet excluded from decisions regarding the prevention and management of such conflicts. Despite local initiatives, policy and practice remain sub-optimal because, whilst women are present in the peacebuilding work of non-governmental organizations, cultural and government institutions continue to marginalize them through gendered patriarchal institutional and societal power relations. The question of how to secure opportunities and capacity building for women still needs to be resolved. This paper stresses the need for applying decolonial methodologies in analysing the impact of these conflicts on women in Northern Nigeria.

The conclusion will show that the coloniality of power, knowledge and being clearly occupies most narratives about the local women in Northern Nigeria and therefore in need of decolonization. Proper consideration must be given to the narratives and perspectives of the local women themselves in other to create a balanced platform of exchange.