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Democracy, Ethnicity, and the Problem of Extrajudicial Killing in Nigeria

Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

Ethnicity, a pedigree of the British imperialist pernicious policy of divide and exploit, has become a virulent scourge that has facilitated a widespread subversion of the democratic ethos in Nigeria. The flagrant display of ethnic chauvinism by the political elites in their bid to usurp power for their selfish ends orchestrates extrajudicial killings in the polity. This article explores the theoretical perspective on ethnicity and highlights the diversities of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria. The nature and the effectiveness of the police in maintaining law and order in Nigeria are discussed. The mutual negative attitudinal dispositions of the public and the police are inhibitive to effective police performance. The article argues that the pervasiveness and ubiquity of ethnicity has profoundly disenabled the realization of the ideal democratic ethos in Nigeria. Panaceas were advanced as the curative for the conflict-ridden and nebulous political atmosphere.

Key Words: democracy • ethnicity • extrajudicial killing • democratic governance

Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 36, No. 4, 546-569 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0021934705280304


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