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Chapter 4 – Questions (with options)
1. The structural theory of social conflict gained prominence through the works of Karl Marx and his colleagues — it posits that social conflict occurs as a result of inherent outcome of societal where power and resources are unevenly distributed among different groups.
- A) structures
- B) functions
- C) norms
- D) values
2. The core principles of the structural theory of social conflict includes institutionalised inequalities, conflict as a driver of change, institutions reinforcing power, scarce resources, economic inequality, educational inequality, systemic racism, gender resources, and inequality among others — Karl Marx’s argument focused on the role of a ______ class structure comprising of the minority rich and the majority poor.
- A) hierarchical
- B) polarized
- C) feudal
- D) flexible
3. The capitalist system is premised on the existence of a powerful minority class called the ______ and an oppressed majority class called the proletariat.
- A) aristocracy
- B) bourgeoisie
- C) peasantry
- D) lumpenproletariat
4. Marx emphasizes the antagonistic relationship between the bourgeoisie and the working class or the ______, where the bourgeoisie continually exploits the labour of the working class for profits.
- A) proletariat
- B) serfs
- C) laborers
- D) plebeians
5. According to Marx, relationships are vital to survival, and most people will have one of two relationships with the means of production: own it (Bourgeoisie) or work for others — this is called the ______.
- A) superstructure
- B) base
- C) infrastructure
- D) structure
6. The other aspects of society, known as the superstructure, are shaped by its economic ______ any change in the infrastructure will thus lead to changes in the superstructure.
- A) system
- B) relations
- C) base
- D) mode
7. According to Crossman (2021), a structural conflict approach such as Marxism believes that society is in a conflict between the classes — the Bourgeoisie oppresses the Proletariat through various social institutions without their full ______.
- A) consent
- B) awareness
- C) participation
- D) resistance
8. Like Karl Marx, Max Weber viewed society as an arena of conflict driven by struggles for dominance, but he expanded beyond Marx by identifying multiple sources — class (economics), status (social honor/prestige), and party (______).
- A) ideology
- B) religion
- C) politics
- D) culture
9. For Max Weber, class conflict does involve economic differences, but it is not the kind of revolutionary struggle that Marx described — instead, Weber saw class as one dimension of inequality, alongside status and ______.
- A) power
- B) party
- C) education
- D) ethnicity
10. The Realist Theory emerged in the 1960s as one that explains how perceived competition for scarce resources can lead to hostility between and/or among groups — when valuable resources are perceived to be in abundance, groups cooperate and exist in ______.
- A) conflict
- B) competition
- C) harmony
- D) isolation
11. In Realist Theory, when resources are perceived to be scarce, whether they truly are or not, the groups go into competition and ______ between themselves.
- A) cooperation
- B) alliance
- C) conflict
- D) negotiation
12. The term realism in Realist Theory is derived from the word “real politik” or “practical” — in its strict professional sense it is called ______.
- A) idealism
- B) liberalism
- C) realism
- D) constructivism
13. Realism argues that it is originally in the nature of man to act either as a group or as individuals in a way that places interest over ideologies — this explains how individuals and groups may engage in competition over real or perceived scarcity of resources such as money, political power, military protection, or social ______.
- A) status
- B) justice
- C) equality
- D) mobility
14. Classical realists such as Hans Morgenthau argue that the international system is characterized by conflict and competition due to its ______ nature.
- A) cooperative
- B) anarchic
- C) hierarchical
- D) democratic
15. Realist theory highlights the inherent and major causes of conflict with human nature, which is seen to be selfish and engaging in the pursuit of personalized self-interest defined as ______.
- A) wealth
- B) security
- C) power
- D) freedom
16. The Biological Theory of conflict posits that conflict is an innate, instinctual human behaviour rooted in our genetics and physiology, driven by factors such as competition for resources and survival ______.
- A) needs
- B) instincts
- C) desires
- D) strategies
17. The biological theoretical perspective of conflict attributes the origins of conflict and violence to human genetic composition — it highlights that the characteristics that mould human behaviour are innate or ______.
- A) learned
- B) inherited
- C) acquired
- D) environmental
18. Folarin (2013) explains that just as parents can genetically transfer their godly qualities and ingenuity to their offspring, so can the evil nature of man be genetically transferred — this is known as the ______ perspective.
- A) psychological
- B) sociological
- C) biological
- D) economic
19. Charles Darwin in his book, The Origin of Species, specifies the struggle for existence in the predator-prey relationship — for Darwin, conflict is an unavoidable aspect of this struggle, and for as long as possible it is a pursuit that involves resistance to the natural pull inward degeneration or ______.
- A) evolution
- B) extinction
- C) adaptation
- D) mutation
20. The Physiological Theory agrees with biological, realist, psychodynamic theologians and others but added that the condition under which any conflict occurs needs to be studied and evaluated — physiologists argue that even when humans have the capability to be aggressive, this capability remains idle until stimulated by necessity or ______.
- A) instinct
- B) heredity
- C) environment
- D) emotion
21. Physiological theory further argues that conflict can occur when people experience four internal psychological conflicts — approach- approach, avoidance- avoidance, approach- avoidance, and ______.
- A) single approach
- B) double approach-avoidance
- C) multiple avoidance
- D) passive-aggressive
22. Physiological theorists concluded that when violence occurs, there is the tendency that it is being manipulated by a combination of factors within and outside the individual’s ability and ______.
- A) environment
- B) control
- C) awareness
- D) genetics
23. The Economic Theory of conflict emphasizes that conflict is commonly seen as a struggle propelled by political or ideological disputes — economics plays an active role in the breakout and persistence of wars, as the customary benefits enjoyed by the wealthy few are disputed by the working-class majority, and social conflict often ______.
- A) diminishes
- B) ensues
- C) resolves
- D) disappears
24. According to Collier (2004), certain important economic risk factors have been linked to the causes of conflict — these include low per capita income level, low economic growth, specifically strict dependence on a country’s natural resources, and the structure of the ______.
- A) government
- B) population
- C) economy
- D) labor force
25. The economic theory of conflict emphasizes how scarcity, financial incentives, and competition over resources drive people and groups into violence — two key words developed by Collier and Hoeffler (2004) in the study of economic theory of conflict are “Greed” and “______.”
- A) Grievance
- B) Glory
- C) Need
- D) Justice
26. A phenomenon known as the “resource ______” suggests that nations rich in natural resources are actually more prone to conflict because the wealth they generate often fuels corruption, weakens institutions, and sparks competition among elites.
- A) abundance
- B) curse
- C) blessing
- D) trap
27. The Psycho-Cultural Theory of social conflict posits that deep-seated identity issues, particularly those related to culture and ethnicity, are central drivers of conflict — it argues that conflicts are often fueled by a group’s struggle to maintain its identity, dignity, and ______.
- A) power
- B) security
- C) wealth
- D) autonomy
28. Irobi (2005) argues that memories of past traumas magnify people’s anxieties — this is because of ethnic identity which produces ______, and this is the basis of the Psycho-Cultural Theory.
- A) xenophobia
- B) ethnocentrism
- C) nationalism
- D) patriotism
29. Psycho-cultural conflict theorists like Ross (2001) believe that conflicts which are caused by identity are usually dangerous, violent, intractable, and highly protracted, and often very difficult to resolve — this is because identity which is at the center of the conflict is an unshakable sense of ______.
- A) self
- B) belonging
- C) superiority
- D) grievance
30. The psycho-cultural conflict theory has been heavily criticized for attributing the main basis of conflict and violence to identity based on ethnicity — critics argue that there is a tendency for many people to label any conflict as “ethnic identity” based when that conflict has a different ______ cause.
- A) actual
- B) perceived
- C) imagined
- D) secondary
31. The Human Needs Theory states that all human beings have basic needs which they seek to fulfil and that other groups or individuals could affect them immediately or later, thereby leading to conflict — this theory was originally propounded by a psychologist, Abraham Maslow, in his work titled ______.
- A) “Toward a Psychology of Being”
- B) “Motivation and Personality”
- C) “A Theory of Human Motivation”
- D) “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature”
32. Maslow later expanded the earlier five-stage structure of human needs bringing it to eight stages — the new levels include cognitive, aesthetic needs, and ______ needs.
- A) safety
- B) esteem
- C) transcendence
- D) belongingness
33. Physiological needs are sometimes referred to as biological needs and involve the necessities for human survival such as shelter, food, air, water, clothing, warmth, sex and sleep — Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs remain ______ to it.
- A) primary
- B) secondary
- C) equal
- D) unrelated
34. Safety needs entail protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, and freedom from ______.
- A) want
- B) fear
- C) pain
- D) hunger
35. Love and belongingness needs which are often referred to as the social needs involves interpersonal relationships that motivate human behavior such as association, friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, receiving and giving affection, and love — others include affiliation to a group as in organization, family, professional body, among ______.
- A) peers
- B) others
- C) equals
- D) institutions
36. Esteem needs: Maslow categorized this stage of human needs into the desire for oneself-dignity, achievement, mastery, independence, etc., and the desire for esteem for reputation or respect from others — e.g., status, ______.
- A) prestige
- B) wealth
- C) power
- D) recognition
37. Cognitive needs deals with human pursuit for knowledge and understanding of realities, sense of curiosity, exploration, and the need for meaning and ______.
- A) predictability
- B) order
- C) truth
- D) wisdom
38. Aesthetic needs involves the search for and appreciation of beauty, balance, art, music, nature, and other forms of aesthetic expression — accomplishing of these needs creates a sense of satisfaction and harmony, as humans most often than not seek environments that are pleasing and characterized by physical beauty to emotional and ______ satisfaction.
- A) spiritual
- B) intellectual
- C) social
- D) psychological
39. Self-actualization needs is about realizing personal ambition, self-fulfillment, personal growth and peak experiences — a desire “to become everything one is ______ of becoming.”
- A) capable
- B) worthy
- C) desirous
- D) hopeful
40. Transcendence needs is a stage where an individual is motivated by values and the need to find a sense of meaning that transcends beyond the physical self, often through spiritual faith, helping others or connecting with nature — it places emphasis on altruism, religious faith, mystical experiences, pursuit of science, and assisting others to realize their ______.
- A) dreams
- B) potential
- C) goals
- D) purpose
41. System theory is one of the oldest theories of social conflicts — the theory holds that certain conflicts are systemic in nature and can be better interpreted and understood from the perspective of a ______.
- A) structure
- B) system
- C) framework
- D) model
42. The system theory was pioneered by a biologist, Ludwig von Bertalanffy, from a biological perspective in the ______.
- A) 1930s
- B) 1940s
- C) 1950s
- D) 1960s
43. A system is a conglomeration of different parts or components coming together to form an indivisible whole — the core idea is that “the whole is greater than the sum of its ______.”
- A) parts
- B) components
- C) elements
- D) units
44. Certain social conflicts are systemic due to their interconnectedness with other social variables — society is interconnected, and one thing often leads to another, and nothing exists in a ______.
- A) vacuum
- B) bubble
- C) silo
- D) void
45. The Greed and Grievance Theory states that conflicts are either motivated by greed (opportunistic, economic self-interest, such as controlling valuable resources) or by grievance (socio-political factors such as inequality, discrimination, or political ______).
- A) exclusion
- B) inclusion
- C) participation
- D) stability
46. “Greed” in the Greed and Grievance Theory is an insatiable desire for material gain often through the control of valuable resources such as oil, diamond, or timber, or social value — “Grievance” stands for the argument that armed conflicts are motivated by a desire to maintain equilibrium where there is disparity in income distribution to improve their ______.
- A) status
- B) welfare
- C) power
- D) influence
47. The Nigeria-Biafra civil war (1967-1970) and Niger Delta region in Nigeria are typical examples of social conflict caused by greed and ______.
- A) power
- B) grievance
- C) ethnicity
- D) religion
48. The Frustration-Aggression Theory is a psychological theory propounded by a group of psychologists — John Dollard et al. (1939) — who articulated that conflicts occur in society and organizations due to frustration-aggression witnessed by members during their daily activities in organizations and society — frustration-aggression theory is an industrial psychological theory used in making analysis and interpreting why people behave the way they do in their ______.
- A) homes
- B) workplaces
- C) communities
- D) societies
49. Berkowitz (1965 and 1971) emphasized that interaction between environmental cues and emotional states such as anger may also instigate aggressive behaviour — therefore, aggression is not solely contingent on frustration alone but may also be mediated by a readiness, which is an intervening variable between frustration and ______.
- A) anger
- B) violence
- C) aggression
- D) conflict
50. In a nutshell, the frustration-aggression theory emphasizes the need for justice, fairness, and equity in a society — otherwise, a person or group of people who perceive inequality, injustice, and unfair treatment usually become frustrated and often respond through aggressive means that can hinder the growth of ______.
- A) economy
- B) society
- C) governance
- D) institutions
Chapter 5 – Questions (with options)
1. Rise in conflict has been a major concern considering its damaging impact on both the economy and human life — Africa has been judged to be more afflicted by serious armed conflicts than any other region on the planet by ______ and Kadende-Kaiser (2005).
- A) Kaiser
- B) Nnoli
- C) Collier
- D) Galtung
2. Apart from civil wars, Africa has also witnessed a number of intermittent border and inter-state conflicts — it is worthy of note that Africa has no monopoly of conflict as other regions of the world are also riddled ______.
- A) with peace
- B) with conflict
- C) with development
- D) with stability
3. At the basic level, conflicts in Africa are directly related to the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of independence by African countries and to the multi-ethnic composition of the ______ states.
- A) African
- B) colonial
- C) post-colonial
- D) modern
4. Conflict has been variously defined by scholars — Holati (1983:350) in Aremu (2010) defined conflict as a particular relationship between States or rival factions within a State which implies subjective economic or military ______.
- A) cooperation
- B) rivalry
- C) alliance
- D) negotiation
5. Violence is defined by World Health Organization N.M (2007) as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death or psychological harm, maldevelopment, or ______.
- A) deprivation
- B) suffering
- C) poverty
- D) marginalization
6. Violence can be categorized into direct, structural, and cultural violence — direct violence according to Eze (2017) involves dramatization of conflict such as the use of offensive words and strife and wars are good instances of direct violence — structural violence, on the other hand, manifests in adopting and maintaining conditions in the structure of society that inhibits people in that society from attaining satisfaction in their basic needs for ______.
- A) survival
- B) growth
- C) development
- D) security
7. Cultural violence occurs when an individual is harmed as a result of practices that are part of his/her culture, religion, or ______.
- A) ethnicity
- B) tradition
- C) nationality
- D) community
8. There is no single universal and acceptable understanding of African conflicts — there are different perspectives on the causes of African conflicts — for the purpose of this course, this chapter shall concentrate on the discussion of eight root causes of conflict and violence in Africa, namely: governance, ethnicity, indigene-settler phenomenon, boundary/border disputes, political disputes, economic and social inequalities, nationalist movements, and ______.
- A) culture
- B) language
- C) religion
- D) education
9. Governance relates to the quality of relationship between the government and citizens whom it serves and protects — governance has a lot to do with the allocation of values in the society, which to a large extent is ______ in nature.
- A) economic
- B) social
- C) political
- D) cultural
10. Governance is legitimate when the government is installed by the people through institutional arrangements that are put in place by the people and when the performance of the ruler is adjudged good or accepted by the ______.
- A) elite
- B) people
- C) international community
- D) opposition
11. A good leader is that leader that provides good governance — one of those qualities is that his leadership must be based on the rule of ______.
- A) law
- B) majority
- C) power
- D) force
12. Good governance has been a challenge to most African countries — the reoccurring incidences of conflicts and violence in Africa today were as a result of bad governance — the social contract has been broken down with economic stagnation and the current bad state of state services, and citizens are reacting by failing to adhere to the principles of good ______.
- A) governance
- B) morality
- C) citizenship
- D) leadership
13. Bad governance has manifested in Nigeria and other African countries in the form of poor healthcare delivery, infrastructural decay, ethnic conflicts, military coups d’etat, religious crisis, corruption, poverty, and ______.
- A) illiteracy
- B) unemployment
- C) disease
- D) crime
14. The consciousness of a group of persons within a larger cultural and social system — the “we are” as against “they are” — can be referred to as ______.
- A) nationality
- B) ethnicity
- C) tribalism
- D) nativism
15. Yinger defines ethnic group as “a segment of a larger society whose members are thought, by themselves and/or others, to have a common origin and to share important parts of a common culture — they all share activities in which the common origin and culture are common ______.”
- A) traits
- B) features
- C) elements
- D) aspects
16. Nnoli noted 4 characteristics/attributes of ethnic groups which include: common consciousness of being one in relation to other relevant groups; ethnicity tends to be exclusive; acceptance and rejection on linguistic-cultural grounds characterizes social relation; and ethnicity exists only within a political society consisting of diverse ______ groups.
- A) ethnic
- B) social
- C) cultural
- D) religious
17. Ethnicity is characterized by conflict — that is to say that it is a psychosocial phenomenon in which diverse ethnicity conscious groups are competitively engaged — this is manifest in the process of sharing national cake in ______.
- A) Africa
- B) Nigeria
- C) Kenya
- D) South Africa
18. Psychological factors like prejudice and ethnocentrism are important explanations for the persistence of ethnicity — a sense of identity is traced to a sense of “opposition and ______.”
- A) exclusion
- B) inclusion
- C) superiority
- D) inferiority
19. However, because of the different nature of ethnic loyalty in Nigeria, ethnic groups are clamoring for ethnic presidency — the issue of the undemocratic “power shift” and/or rotational presidency syndrome in Nigeria is a case of ethnic ______.
- A) conflict
- B) politics
- C) competition
- D) consciousness
20. In a plural society like Nigeria, discrimination and nepotism often perpetuates group inequalities often leading to social crisis or threat of secession — injustice and corruption apparently led to the breakaway of the eastern part of Nigeria in 1967 to form the Republic of ______.
- A) Benin
- B) Biafra
- C) Niger Delta
- D) Oduduwa
21. The indigene-settler phenomenon: Migration has remained as old as mankind — the accounts of migration had always been used to explain the origin of communities in both pre-colonial and colonial Africa and they remain as in the past vital determinants of ______ relations.
- A) inter-community
- B) intra-community
- C) inter-personal
- D) intra-personal
22. The term settler is used to describe an individual who can trace his or her ancestry to a particular place — in his work titled “Strangers to the City” Plotnicov (1967) noted that “indigenes” is a terminology used in Nigeria to describe ______ peoples of an area, even when they are politically sub-ordinate there, while “stranger” (settlers) covers people of alien origin who are permanently settled among these people.
- A) native
- B) indigenous
- C) original
- D) autochthonous
23. The Federal Character Principle as found in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution has exacerbated the indigene-settler issue due to the ______ of the Federal Character Principle.
- A) application
- B) misapplication
- C) overuse
- D) ambiguity
24. A boundary is essentially an invisible, vertical plane that separates one state from another — boundaries can be both physical and anthropogenic, and while it is difficult to categorize all boundaries, some prominent boundary types exist — boundary and territorial disputes refer to the disputes over the division of land or water bodies among ______ or more independent States — boundary disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims or may be brought on by competition for resource ______.
- A) two; control
- B) three; ownership
- C) four; access
- D) five; use
25. There are four broad types of boundary disputes – Allocational Boundary Dispute, Operational Boundary Dispute, Definitional Boundary Dispute, and ______ Boundary Dispute.
- A) Territorial
- B) Locational
- C) Positional
- D) Geographical
26. Allocational Boundary Dispute revolves around disagreements over the allocation of resources and prosperous land — suppose a valuable economic resource lies just beyond the border of a country’s political boundaries — if only the lines could be redrawn even slightly, all that wealth could change ______.
- A) sides
- B) hands
- C) ownership
- D) control
27. Operational Boundary Disputes involve the operation of a boundary between two political entities — how is border security handled? What can and cannot be built along the border, and under what conditions? Operational boundary disputes often involve each political entity’s respective responsibility for the maintenance of the ______.
- A) boundary
- B) border
- C) line
- D) frontier
28. Definitional Boundary Disputes may emerge when two political entities cannot agree on a common definition of where their boundaries lie — this may be the result of a bad land survey or even a misunderstanding of the boundary being claimed by the ______ party.
- A) opposing
- B) aggrieved
- C) claiming
- D) other
29. Locational Boundary Disputes are perhaps the most incendiary type of boundary dispute because they are ideological in nature — they emerge when parties disagree with the way a political boundary was drawn because they fundamentally do not accept the premise of the political boundary in question — detractors may see a political boundary as illegitimate, immoral, or unjustifiable — locational boundary disputes may also give rise to ______.
- A) separatism
- B) secessionism
- C) irredentism
- D) nationalism
30. Aside land boundary disputes, boundary disputes can occur at water as well — unlike land-based boundary disputes, which take shape after centuries of negotiation and warfare, maritime boundaries are almost entirely defined by the United Nations via the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ______.
- A) UNSC
- B) UNCLOS
- C) UNCTAD
- D) UNEP
31. The Nigerian political environment is constantly heated because incessant political disputes have characterized the system — etymologically, the word dispute originated from the Latin “disputare,” meaning an argument or disagreement, debate, controversy, a failure to agree, altercation, or quarrel — it implies to engage in argument, especially to argue irritably or with irritating persistence, to struggle against or oppose — then political dispute becomes ______.
- A) politicized
- B) legalized
- C) institutionalized
- D) normalized
32. According to Hatzisavvidou (2022, p.185), dispute is a key marker of politics as a domain of action from Aristotle to Arendt and from Machiavelli to Mouffe, political thinkers acknowledge the irreducibly conflictual nature of polities — the omnipresence of political dispute is the result not only of the pluralism of interests and values that characterize political communities, but also of the instability of core political ideas such as justice and ______.
- A) liberty
- B) equality
- C) democracy
- D) order
33. Political dispute manifests itself in instances when there are opposing views, disputations, confrontation on how to proceed on a political issue because the other person or group articulate and pursue worldviews that prioritize radically different political principles and goals — hence, political dispute is also acknowledged as disputatious politicking and alternative ways of political action — disputes highlight the fragmentary and temporary character of established regularities, institutions, and orders and create opportunities to challenge and reform them — the disputatious aspect of politics resonates with the spirit of political analysis and political contestation as inexorable elements of ______.
- A) governance
- B) democracy
- C) development
- D) society
34. The historicity of political party disputes in Nigeria dates back to the colonial era — a few examples of such disputes could be cited — Webster quoted in Yahaya and Ibrahim (2015), declared that the first political party in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1923 was “wrecked by personal jealousies and quarrels over the spoils of ______.”
- A) office
- B) politics
- C) power
- D) government
35. Social Inequality entails unevenly distribution of resources within a society, often as a result of allocation practices that are inequitable, that creates as well unequal patterns based on categories of people socially defined — factors like religion, power, prestige, kinship, gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, and class often are the factors that influence differences in accessing social goals within society — according to Caves (2004:1), social inequality usually implies the lack of equality of outcome, but may alternatively be conceptualized as a lack of equality in access to ______.
- A) resources
- B) opportunity
- C) wealth
- D) justice
36. Economic Inequality is often linked to social inequality — this is often analyzed, described, and based on equitable distribution of goods, wealth, or income — the causes are often because people want to manage such resources as land, water, and pastures and forests, because of the different uses they have of them — to inform a successful management of these resources, a basic knowledge about these different needs and interests can be of great help — such differences however can also lead to conflict when there is competition over economic benefits, material goods, or ______.
- A) services
- B) opportunities
- C) positions
- D) rights
37. According to Engel (2005:1) — sometimes it is best to monitor a conflict without intervening — such conflicts are acceptable to the parties, self-sustaining in the long run and productive of a new, positive relationship — however, if a conflict is ignored or attempt to manage it fail, it can grow into a dispute over some other form of confrontation — a dispute occurs when a conflict becomes ______.
- A) unmanageable
- B) violent
- C) prolonged
- D) destructive
38. The history of Africa is replete with the struggles of its people against colonial domination and exploitation — African nationalists emerged as pivotal figures in this domination, leading movements for liberation and advocating for the rights and sovereignty of their respective nations — it is instructive to note that African nationalism evolved in response to centuries of colonial rule and the attendant socio-economic injustices inflicted upon the continent by ______.
- A) Europe
- B) colonial powers
- C) imperialists
- D) foreigners
39. Since the awakening of religion, wars have been fought in the name of different gods and goddesses – still today, most violent conflicts contain religious elements linked up with ethno-national, inter-state, economic, territorial, cultural, and other issues – threatening the meaning of life, conflicts based on religion tend to become dogged, tenacious, and brutal types of wars – when conflicts are couched in religious terms, they become transformed in value conflicts – unlike other issues such as resource conflicts, which can be resolved by pragmatic and distributive means, value conflicts tend to become mutually conclusive or zero-sum issues – they entail strong judgments of what is right and wrong, and parties believe that there cannot be a common ground to resolve their ______.
- A) differences
- B) disputes
- C) conflicts
- D) grievances
40. Inter-Religious conflict can be defined as conflict involving or existing between two or more religious groups or movements – this type of conflict is usually between two religious groups, e.g., between Muslim and ______.
- A) Christian
- B) Jew
- C) Hindu
- D) Buddhist
41. Intra Religious conflict can be defined as conflict involving or existing within a religious group or movement – these are basically religious conflicts within a particular religion which are rooted in differences resulting from religious ______.
- A) practice
- B) doctrine
- C) interpretation
- D) tradition
42. Sectarianism can be defined as a form of bigotry, discrimination, or hatred arising from attaching relations of inferiority and superiority to differences between subdivisions within a group – sectarian violence according to Ekwunife (1992) involves differences based on interpretations of religious doctrine or practice – the struggles between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, or the wars associated with the Protestant Reformation and Counter Reformation, are examples of this form of conflict – the current violence seen between Sunni and Shia Muslims is also in this category – closely associated with this kind of conflict is religious ______.
- A) extremism
- B) fundamentalism
- C) fanaticism
- D) radicalism
43. Religious fundamentalism rests on a literal interpretation and strict and intense adherence to the basic principles of a religion – the conflict arises when religious fundamentalists see their coreligionists as being insufficiently pious – extremism is the idea that the end of a religious goal can be justified by almost any means – some groups that are convinced that they have divine blessing have few limits to their behavior, including resorting to ______.
- A) violence
- B) coercion
- C) force
- D) terror
44. Religious organizations also make efforts to overcome religious-intolerance – sectarianism or nationalism, and to develop an ecumenical climate – Hans Kung (1999) urges, as a first step, the development of an ecumenical and concrete theology for peace between Christians, Jews, and Muslims – a systematic analysis of their divergences and convergences, and their potential of conflict and cooperation, would be a helpful step ______.
- A) forward
- B) backward
- C) aside
- D) beyond
45. In conclusion, since after independence in the late 20th century, African countries have been battling with the problems of conflict and violence – thuggery, looting, and arson have become part and parcel of Africa’s political culture – this has taken its toll on Africa’s development in a number of ways, especially in the killing of her illustrious sons and daughters and also alienation of her people – conflict and violence have also hindered the process of integration and promoting social cohesion in Africa, and should not be allowed to continue if Africa is to witness sporadic growth and development and compete with other continents of the ______.
- A) world
- B) global south
- C) developing world
- D) modern era
46. As a way out of the predicament of conflicts and violence that have bedeviled Africa, this article therefore suggests among others, that African States need committed and sincere leadership — African countries are in dire need of leaders who are not greedy and selfish — African countries need leaders who are capable of distributing the resources of their State without ethnic or religious ______.
- A) bias
- B) sentiment
- C) discrimination
- D) preference
47. The former President of Liberia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in her keynote address presented to ECOWAS International conference held in Monrovia in 2010, emphasized that the root cause of civil conflicts in Africa is bad governance — she characterized the origin of Liberia’s conflict into two broad categories: a significant portion of the society were systematically excluded and marginalized from institutions of political governance and access to key economic assets — she noted that over-concentration of power bred corruption, restricted access to the decision making process, and limited the space for civil society participation in governance processes — she pointed out that economic collapse helped to propel the ______.
- A) crisis
- B) conflict
- C) war
- D) violence
48. In its current manifestation, banditry has been traced to the herder-farmer conflicts that plague Nigeria — environmental decline and the scarcity of water and arable land led to communities competing viciously for those limited resources — common patterns of banditry in Nigeria include cattle rustling, gang robbery, kidnapping, pillage, and ______.
- A) mercenary activities
- B) arms smuggling
- C) drug trafficking
- D) human trafficking
49. Large-scale weapons smuggling has allowed criminal gangs access to heavy weapons, increasing the deadlines of attacks which has affected the lives and loss of property worth billions of dollars, and the presence of these groups has driven away foreign ______.
- A) aid
- B) investment
- C) tourism
- D) development
50. Reports indicate that armed bandit groups killed more than 2600 civilians in Nigeria’s northwest, and that between January and March 2022 at least 360 people were killed by bandits in Kaduna State alone — this was an increase of over 250 per cent from ______.
- A) 2020
- B) 2021
- C) 2019
- D) 2018
Chapter 6 – Questions (with options)
1. Most African cultures and societies are creations of patriarchs or the patriarchal system of governance — Obiorah and Odoh (2020:17) explain that the institution of monarchy is a common phenomenon with states, countries, and other similar entities, which makes the institution a ______ one.
- A) traditional
- B) universal
- C) political
- D) social
2. Before the creation of chieftaincy institution in Igbo land by the colonial masters, titled men welded both political, social, and cultural authorities — according to Iheanacho 2018:89, the wave of change brought by the colonial masters created a new and compelling political space in the entire ______ land.
- A) Yoruba
- B) Igbo
- C) Hausa
- D) Nigerian
3. The Igbo culture and tradition is responsible for title taking for various offices — these institutions include: council of Kingmakers, Aladinma, Ndi oha, congregation of the village titled men and the oracle of the land, Eze/Igwe, Onowu/Okenze, Ozor, Nze — other title holders include, Chief, Lolo, Ugo eze, Eze muo (Chief priest), Eze Dibia — these chiefs may include royal chiefs, noble chief, chieftaincy system, a four cadre system subsets — the Oba (King) is the commander in-chief — for the religious chief and ______.
- A) traditional priest
- B) spiritual leader
- C) oracle priest
- D) diviner
4. The nature of conflict is very pervasive in human society — even the hallowed traditional title taking is not exempt for its pervasiveness — Udegbunam (2017:26) traditional title taking is conceptualized a clash of values, choices, and interests within and individual, conceptualized conflict a clash of values, choices, and interests within ______.
- A) within
- B) between
- C) among
- D) across
5. The gains embedded in the office of a traditional ruler like Eze, Igwe, Okenze, or Onowu make them the object of protracted contestations often resulting in irresolvable conflicts — apart from the material gains, there is social recognition, political authority and some level of immunity on the important offices in many communities across Nigeria — the conflicts are rooted in the culture and tradition of the people — they therefore have little or no political power attached to ______.
- A) them
- B) it
- C) these
- D) those
6. A major area of conflict or dispute over chieftaincy is the issue of replacement of a deceased Eze or Igwe — in some communities where there is rotational Ezeship among various clans or ruling houses in the community, it has sometimes proved difficult to respect the rotation formula as men of means from particular clans other than the one whose turn it is may contest the position in disregard of the zoning arrangement — also, even within the clans or ruling houses to which it has been zoned, there may be intense competition between the contestant for the office who would need political party endorsement more than the support of the populace — the fierce competition this evokes often lead to bloodshed, destruction of properties, and lack of peace and development in the concerned ______.
- A) community
- B) village
- C) region
- D) state
7. Land disputes occur between one community and another — it happens between clans, families, and between persons — land dispute also happen between two or more states within the same country or even between two or more countries — people see land as a gift of nature endowed with many valuable things like petroleum, wood, sand, rivers with fish and chippings for constructions of roads, bridges, and ______.
- A) buildings
- B) factories
- C) houses
- D) infrastructure
8. In Igbo culture, land is taken as a gift from God the creature for human sustenance — certain expanse of land in some communities is a community property — to this end, any form of encroachment is regarded as a threat which will be resisted through regular judicial process or adjudication — Iheanacho (2016:126) explained that “communal ownership of land and other economic resources is very common in Igbo land — land is generally understood as a natural gift from the Supreme Being to humanity for activities like planting, cultivation, housing, and expansion for other activities — because of its divine origin, land use and associated activities assume certain religious understandings and interpretations in various communities across ______ land.”
- A) Yoruba
- B) Igbo
- C) Hausa
- D) Nigerian
9. Personalities involved in land dispute resolution in contemporary times include legal professionals (lawyers), land professionals (surveyors, valuers), traditional and community leaders (traditional rulers, elders), government officials, and members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) — the specific individuals involved depend on the method used, such as traditional mediation, legal proceedings, or alternative dispute resolution (______).
- A) ADR
- B) ICC
- C) ICJ
- D) UNSC
10. Principally, the groups or personalities adopt some of the conflict resolution strategies — these are adjudication, negotiation, and mediation — Poku (1998) opined that in the pre-colonial Africa, many principles guided conflict resolution mechanism — he outlined confidence in the traditional jury as key — in his view, elders, chiefs, priests, and priestesses engage in one form conflict handling style, litigation or arbitration — to Kopytoff (1971), African elders have the natural capacity due to experience to resolve conflicts — Kings in our present dispensation have both political, juridical, or traditional powers to resolve contending issues between peoples and groups — the kings guided by tradition of their communities administer ______ to all.
- A) justice
- B) fairness
- C) equity
- D) law
11. Conflict adjudication pertaining to land disputes, which are not resolved by the Eze, elders, family heads, clan head, are normally referred to the deities or gods as the final arbiter — oracular pronouncements or judgements are taken as the final stage of the justice system, or the traditional supreme court — it is trusted more than the judgements given by Eze/Igwe or the traditional union — resolution of land dispute that is taken to an oracle in-council, family clan head, elders, etc. is often unpredictable — this is partly because some of the parties to the conflict may not have concrete proof of being the authentic owners of the land in dispute but would also not wish to let go on the basis of circumstantial proof they claim — as a result, disputants approach conflict resolution through the deities, whether indigenous ones of those procured from other communities of lands, with extreme caution — when option of approaching the deity is chosen, both sides to the dispute are requested to make their submissions before the deity — after listening to their submissions, the “presiding judge” who is the chief priest of the oracle would usually ask the leaders of the two or more sides in the conflict over land to swear an oath of ownership or otherwise — after the outhatking, the dispute is deemed to have been handed over to the deity and the disputants go home to await the outcome of the oath which would usually be within a specified timeframe — during that period, spiritual beings operating on behalf of the shrine or deity are expected to visit the offender with punishment, which may include ______.
- A) exile
- B) death
- C) illness
- D) misfortune
12. Nationalism is one of the most contested concepts in the social sciences — this is because the concept is heavily laden with ideological, religious, ethnic, racial, and socio-economic and emotional undercurrents — for Guibernau (1996) nationalism is the sentiment of belonging to a community whose members identify with a set of symbols, beliefs, and ways of life and have the will to decide upon their common political destiny — it could be described as a double-edged sword in the sense of representing two ideological ______.
- A) tendencies
- B) perspectives
- C) dimensions
- D) aspects
13. Okeke (2018) identified two major perspectives on the origins and basis of nationalism: the primordialist perspective, which describes nationalism as a reflection of the ancient and perceived evolutionary tendency of humans to organize into distinct groupings based on an affinity of birth, and the modernist perspective, which perceives nationalism as a recent phenomenon that requires the structural conditions of modern society in order to exist — nationalism is central to the nationalist struggles to free Nigeria from the shackles of colonialism and attempt to galvanize all its ethnic groups together to form a coherent state — it is also the basis for the current nationalist agitations trying to tear the state ______.
- A) apart
- B) together
- C) down
- D) up
14. Ethnic consciousness has escalated from simple agitation of loose ethnic associations to the level where these groups employ strategies that are violent in character in asking questions and demanding answers, thus directly or indirectly challenging the legitimacy of the state — this development is noted in the rise of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), which was formed against the backdrop of the annulment of the 1993 presidential election that a Yoruba purportedly won, the rise of Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in the South Eastern (Igbo dominated) region against the backdrop of gross marginalization of the Igbo in the polity, the Arewa Peoples’ Congress (APC) which emerged in the Northern part of the country as a counter the OPC, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), that called attention to the despoliation of the environment of the delta due to oil exploration and demand that a good proportion of the resources exploited from their region be retained there, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is an attempt to resurrect the struggle for self-determination waged by the Igbo of South Eastern Nigeria and the perceived inefficiencies of MASSOB among others — cumulatively, the activities of these groups and the governments’ responses to them have become major sources of conflict in Nigeria sometimes threatening its continued existence as single ______.
- A) nation
- B) country
- C) state
- D) entity
15. The Herders-Farmers Conflict in Nigeria is an ongoing conflict between nomadic herdsmen and local farmers in Nigeria — it is primarily an ethnic and religious conflict, as the herdsmen are largely of the Fulani ethnic group and are predominantly Muslim, while the farmers are mostly of the sedentary ethnic groups in the region, such as the Tiv, Idoma, Igbo, Yoruba, and others, who are mostly Christian or ______.
- A) Muslim
- B) Traditionalist
- C) Atheist
- D) Pagan
16. The conflict between herders and local farmers have escalated in recent years due to various factors, including population growth, climate change, and competition for resources — the herdsmen, who are traditionally nomadic, have been forced to migrate southward in search of grazing land due to desertification and the depletion of pasture in the ______.
- A) East
- B) West
- C) South
- D) North
17. Growing pressure on land and government interventions: it has been argued that as a result of the exponential increase in Nigeria’s population, particularly the rural population, formerly designated grazing routes have been converted to cultivation purposes thereby leading to frustration on the part of the herders — Ofuoku and Isife (2010) reported that over the past four decades, agricultural land in the northern part has tended to swallow up grazing percent of the total land surface and that the expansion of cultivation has blocked traditional migration routes — this is seen as one of the main triggers of the farmer-herder conflict in ______.
- A) Africa
- B) West Africa
- C) Nigeria
- D) Sahel
18. It should be noted that the Grazing Reserves Act of 1964 was enacted by the federal government to demarcate certain areas as grazing reserves for the herders — this law was the first official step to regulate the activities of cattle herders — the government designated 415 specific areas for grazing purposes — however, the Land Use Act of 1978 transferred all land to the government, and gave it the decision-making power about land leasing and renting — it is argued that the Act also made it easier for the farmers to obtain “certificate of Occupancy” for the use of land unlike the ______.
- A) farmers
- B) herders
- C) government
- D) landlords
19. Climate change: one of the root causes of the farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria is the issue of climate change — the northern region of the country has over the years been devastated by the problem of desertification due to the annual decrease in rainfall — it is estimated that Nigeria has lost an average of 350,000 square kilometer of its land area to desert encroachment — according to Shehu (2018), the desertification has continued towards the southern parts of the country with an annual speed of ______ meters.
- A) 500
- B) 600
- C) 700
- D) 800
20. Non-inclusive governance: non-inclusive governance is a primary driver of herder-farmer conflicts, often cited more frequently than resource scarcity or climate change alone — it exacerbates existing tensions through weak institutions, biased policies, and the failure to provide equitable land management and conflict resolution mechanisms for all parties involved — ultimately, non-inclusive governance creates a vacuum that fosters mistrust, insecurity, and a cycle of violence, preventing the development of sustainable, shared solutions for resource ______.
- A) allocation
- B) distribution
- C) management
- D) use
21. Collapse of Traditional Grazing Routes Systems: during the British colonial era, herders and farmers had a system called “______” under this system, specific migration routes were agreed upon, but collapsed around the 1970s.
- A) Nomadism
- B) Pastoralism
- C) Transhumance
- D) Migration
22. Purposeful destruction of Farmlands: destruction of farmlands by cattle herdsmen is one of high triggers of the conflict — purposeful destruction of a farmer’s means of livelihood is a detectable act that warrants condemnation from all and sundry — the cost of production, energy put in diminished prospects of farmers aspiration, ambition, and food insecurity, high cost of food items and living correspond to aggravate the tension between herders and farmers in the contemporary Nigeria — the farmer therefore goes home psychologically disorientated, economically deprived, and socially ______.
- A) displaced
- B) marginalized
- C) isolated
- D) alienated
23. The farmers-herders conflict in Nigeria has significant implications for the country’s security, stability, and unity — since 2016, more than 3,600 lives have been lost due to these conflicts — the violence has also led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, disrupting their livelihoods and ______.
- A) families
- B) communities
- C) homes
- D) societies
24. Insurgency is an ambiguous concept and has received multiple meanings and definitions from scholars — it can be referred to as “uprising” or “rebellion” — the United States Department of Defence (2007) defines it as an organized movement that has the aim of overthrowing a constituted government through subversive means and armed conflict — this definition suggests that insurgent groups employ unlawful means towards achieving an end, which could be political, religious, social, or even ideological — it is a protracted political-military struggle directed toward subverting or displacing the controlling the resources of a territory through the use of irregular military forces and illegal political ______.
- A) mobilization
- B) organization
- C) campaign
- D) action
25. The common denominator for most insurgent groups is their objective of gaining control of a population or a particular territory, including its resources — the goal of insurgency is to confront and overthrow an existing government for the control of power, resources, or for power sharing — Siegel (2007) identifies three strategies of insurgency: localized, infiltrative, and ______.
- A) ideological
- B) ideational
- C) international
- D) irregular
26. Localized Insurgency: the first strategy is a localized insurgency in which insurgents carve out a geographic section of the country to control instead of trying to govern the entire state — in many cases, rural, inaccessible regions and marginalized urban sectors are ripe for accommodation between the insurgents and the government — thus, this happens in areas where the state is weak — as a parastate, insurgents govern parts of the country abandoned by the national government, which focuses on the concerns of the ______.
- A) majority
- B) elite
- C) urban
- D) rich
27. Infiltrative Insurgency: the states or countries with open political systems are vulnerable to infiltrative insurgency — infiltrative insurgency occurs when insurgent actors enter the political system of a state overtly, while covertly using violence to further their goals — co-opting the state allows insurgents to appear legitimate to external actors — instead of overthrowing the state in a violent contest, this type of insurgent subverts the government by accessing legal avenues of democratic governments in order to create power from within — the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland and the Movimiento al Socialismo party in Venezuela are countries that show that democratic states with deep social schisms are the most susceptible to the ______ insurgent.
- A) localized
- B) infiltrative
- C) ideational
- D) violent
28. Ideational Insurgency: ideational insurgency looks to change norms in society in a de-territorialised manner — the internet is used to reach broader audiences for support and legitimacy for the insurgents’ goals — the ubiquity of internet access and the mass migration of social life to online spaces have created structureless, networked insurgencies — Ucko (2022) finds explicit expressions of this new form of nonhierarchical insurgency within white supremacist movements in the United States and the Sunni jihadist Islamic State — insurgents embrace the ideational approach in online spaces in direct response to their security dilemma — Ecko (2022) avers that social media platforms have enabled “in-group loyalty even in the absence of in-person contact” — by becoming ephemeral and leaderless, ideational insurgents deny the state the ability to target individuals leaving only the ideology for it to confront — by sharing information, stories, memes, and other content online that serve the ideology’s narrative but fall short of advocating for or directing violence, the insurgents keep the state at ______.
- A) distance
- B) bay
- C) arm’s length
- D) edge
29. There are many causes or perceived causes or reasons why insurgents strike — Nwala (2013:33) provides us with a list of typical conditions that create insurgency which include: injustice, such as inequity, persecution, discrimination, marginalization, and denial of rights; illegitimacy of the regime; longing for freedom and self-determination; poverty, especially when the regime is deemed to be weak and incompetent and incapable to protect the poor masses in the midst of plenty; weakness of government; ideological influences; militarisation of the society; lack of employment opportunities for ever teeming school leavers; and increasing circulation of small arms and light weapons (______).
- A) SALWs
- B) IEDs
- C) RPGs
- D) AK-47s
30. Common Characteristics of Insurgency: insurgent groups often pursue some common objectives to undermine the legitimacy of the State Government — according to the United State Government (2012), insurgents seek to: undercut the ability of the government to provide the population security and public services; obtain the active or passive support of the population; provoke the government into committing abuses that drive neutral civilians toward the insurgents; and undermine international support for the government and, if possible, gain international recognition or assistance for the ______.
- A) government
- B) insurgents
- C) civilians
- D) opposition
31. Boko Haram as a terrorist organization was founded in Maiduguri in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, an influential Islamist cleric from Borno State — Boko Haram propagates ideological campaigns for the abolishment of Western education, spreading of radical Islam, and forceful establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria — the group evolved since 2009 to become one of the world’s deadliest terrorist groups — Nigeria consistently ranked third most terrorist nation over a 5-year period since 2015 — the U.S. intelligence officials estimate that Boko Haram has about 4,000-6,000 “hardcore” militants — many of the group’s activities are those typically linked with terrorism, including suicide bombings, use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), car bombs, massacre, kidnappings, and destruction of property — in recent years, it has increased attacks on soft targets, or relatively unprotected public places, and used more women and children as ______ bombers.
- A) suicide
- B) car
- C) remote
- D) hidden
32. Boko Haram overtook the Islamic State as the world’s deadliest terrorist group in ______.
- A) 2013
- B) 2014
- C) 2015
- D) 2016
33. For recruitment of foot soldiers, Boko Haram preys on the unemployed, marginalized, and disillusioned Muslim youths in Nigeria’s northeast, who are fed up with corruption and have limited economic opportunities — in Northern Nigeria, 72 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, compared to only 27 percent in the southern Nigeria — Boko Haram has faced serious disagreements over doctrine and ideology and a major split in its leadership ranks — this all too obvious in August 2016, when ISIS installed Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram, a move which was outright rejected by Abubakar Shekau, who insisted on heading the Boko Haram faction — the result was the emergence of notable factions — the faction that retained the name Boko Haram was led by Shekau until his reported death on 19 May 2021 — the second faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was initially led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, but he was later replaced by Ba Idrisa, also addressed as Abu Abdullah Idris ibn Umar al-Barnawi, while another faction was named Jama’at Ansari Al-Muslimin fi Bilad Al-Sudan (Ansaru) — the United States designated both groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO): Boko Haram in 2013 and ISWAP in 2018 — importantly, Boko Haram’s most active and lethal period peaked in ______.
- A) 2010-2012
- B) 2012-2014
- C) 2014-2015
- D) 2015-2017
34. The MNJTF was a counterterrorism initiative launched by Nigeria and her Lake Chad neighbours — MNJTF’s troop strength was estimated at 11,150 personnel: Nigeria — 3,750; Chad — 3,000; Cameroon — 2,650; Niger — 1,000; and Benin — 750 — MNJTF interventions have led to the arrest and “neutralization” of thousands of Boko Haram members, as well as the dismantling of nearly 32 training camps and alleged factories for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices and mines — one major problem the MNJTF faced was acute shortage of funds to match the initially estimated budget of S$700 million for MNJTF intelligence and logistics operations (including bonuses for soldiers estimated at US$90 per day, per ______.
- A) soldier
- B) officer
- C) unit
- D) mission
35. Banditry is a vague concept of criminality — etymologically, the term bandit (introduced to English via Italian around 1776) originated with the early Germanic legal practice of outlawing criminals, termed bannan (English ban) — the legal term in the Holy Roman Empire was Acht or Reichsacht, translated as “Imperial ban” — in modern usage, it can be synonymous with gangsterism, brigandage, marauding, terrorism, piracy, and ______.
- A) outlawry
- B) thuggery
- C) robbery
- D) looting
36. Okoli & Ugwu (2019) defined banditry as a pattern of violent crime that involves the use of arms to steal, kill, extort, or harm — it is generally a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence — a person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, either as an individual or in groups — it is essentially a gang phenomenon that requires some level of syndication — a bandit is an outlaw that engages in gang or organized ______.
- A) violence
- B) crime
- C) attack
- D) activity
37. In Nigeria, the origin of banditry has been traced to “shortly before the civil war, when in some parts of the Western Region there was a blurred line between political violence, crime, and organised insurgency” — at the end of the war, the military regime of Gowon failed to manage demobilisation — as demobilised combatants from the war returned home with nothing to do and outlawry became ______.
- A) common
- B) rampant
- C) widespread
- D) endemic
38. In its current manifestation, banditry has been traced to the herder-farmer conflicts that plague Nigeria — environmental decline and the scarcity of water and arable land led to communities competing viciously for those limited resources — common patterns of banditry in Nigeria include cattle rustling, gang robbery, kidnapping, pillage, and mercenary ______.
- A) activities
- B) operations
- C) attacks
- D) raids
39. Unemployment, large-scale poverty, and weak local government have allowed for a steady stream of desperate people turning to criminal activity to earn a living — large forested areas allow for concealment and the formation of camps deep in the forest — unequipped police and military personnel are unable to reach these areas — large-scale weapons smuggling has allowed criminal gangs access to heavy weapons, increasing the deadlines of attacks which has affected the lives and loss of property worth billions of dollars, and the presence of these groups has driven away foreign ______.
- A) aid
- B) investment
- C) tourists
- D) businesses
40. On 8 July 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that the Nigerian military would launch a military operation code-named Operation Harbin ______.
- A) Daji
- B) Accord
- C) Kunama
- D) Sharan
41. In early 2016, Operation Sharan Daji was launched by the Nigerian military to combat bandits in the northwest — the operation was conducted by 31 Artillery Brigade and 2 Battalion of the first 1 Mechanised Division — by March 2016, 35 bandits were killed, 36 guns were seized, 6,009 cattle were recovered, 49 bandit camps were destroyed, and 38 bandits were captured — during the operation the troops recovered three AK-47s, three dane guns, and two G3 rifles, some AK 47 magazines, and others — the killing of four bandits under the Operation Sharan Daji was confirmed by the Premium Times, March 19 2019 — on 5 June 2020, the Nigerian military launched Operation Accord, which established a joint task force of vigilantes and troops of the 312 Artillery Regiment — an air and ground offensive was launched on the same day on which the operation was announced, killing more than 70 bandits — the operation led to the destruction of multiple bandit camps, including a camp belonging to Ansaru (______).
- A) Boko Haram faction
- B) Al-Qaeda affiliate
- C) ISIS affiliate
- D) Taliban affiliate
42. On 13 October 2023, Nigerian fighter jets carried out airstrikes on a gathering of bandits in Zamfara State — at least 100 bandits were killed and over 200 were injured according to a military officer involved in the operation, though the exact number of casualties was not ______.
- A) recorded
- B) disclosed
- C) confirmed
- D) verified
43. In conclusion, banditry has become a scourge in Nigeria to the extent the government’s armed forces have found it difficult to eradicate — this has led to calls on the government to solicit assistance from the international community to deal with the scourge — as mentioned earlier, many factors underlie this seemingly difficult problem — until these factors are addressed, there may be more recruits joining the gangs and replenishing the hard and soft approaches should be employed to assuage the belligerents’ needs since the present military combats have not reduced the ______.
- A) problem
- B) scourge
- C) menace
- D) crisis
44. There are several issues that not only undermine the peaceful and harmonious functioning of societies but in fact threaten the continued existence of such societies — such issues may vary from society to society but their commonality derives from their ability to erode people’s peace of mind, undermine their capacity to engage in legitimate economic pursuits, and threaten their overall wellbeing as humans — as you may have learnt from your interactions in the other chapters of this book, it was the prevalence of such conflictual situations that necessitated the introduction of Peace and Conflict Studies as a compulsory undergraduate level course in the curriculum of Nigerian ______.
- A) schools
- B) universities
- C) colleges
- D) polytechnics
45. Chapter Six examines some of these conflictual issues/situations as they pattern especially to the Nigerian society — some of the selected issues in this chapter include: Contestations over chieftaincy titles and land disputes in Africa: A reflection on Igbo Society; sedentary farmers and nomadic herders; nationalist agitations; insurgencies; and ______.
- A) terrorism
- B) banditry
- C) piracy
- D) kidnapping
46. Boko Haram made a tactical shift in which it changed its operational posture from fighting to capture territory to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks and increased its campaign of suicide bombings against soft targets — this new tactic availed the insurgent group the opportunity to exploit the cracks within the military operational strategies and intelligence and adapt itself to its own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its enemy, with less emphasis on re-surging or claiming more territories — its new strategic focus is on building intelligence that helps it achieve more social and economic disruptions than territorial control — Boko Haram harnesses local intelligence and information on how to evade security agencies while covertly recruiting and indoctrinating community women and young girls for suicide bombings, and using its males for direct ambushes and assaults — in 2015, Boko Haram abducted more than 2,000 women and girls, forcing some to participate in attacks — in 2014-2016 nearly 20% of Boko Haram suicide bombers were children under the age of 18; 75% of them were ______.
- A) boys
- B) girls
- C) teenagers
- D) adolescents
47. The Nigerian government lost 40%-70% of Borno state and some territories in neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa states, including border areas near Cameroon to Boko Haram, where the terrorist group proclaimed an “Islamic caliphate” hoisting black flags in the newly acquired territories — although these territories were later reclaimed by the ______ army.
- A) Nigerian
- B) Cameroonian
- C) Chadian
- D) multinational
48. Notwithstanding, Boko Haram has exhibited mastery of military intelligence with its key members infiltrating the Nigeria military and major townships under the guise of various professions — thus, countering or cracking its intelligence strategy is extremely difficult — this explains why the terror group demonstrated its renewed strength and audacity with strikes at hard military targets and deadly assaults on civilians in which over a six-week period, four military bases were attacked, one of which was staffed by over 700 soldiers — it is argued that the extremist group’s offensives have been relatively sophisticated — probably executed by the faction of Boko Haram led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who has a penchant for targeting the military — the boldness of Boko Haram to strike military targets gains traction as the group discerns cracks in Nigerian army’s ______.
- A) strategy
- B) intelligence
- C) operations
- D) coordination
49. In conclusion, the forward way to the fight against Boko Haram remains a collaborative counterterrorism action among neighbouring states of invaded countries — therefore, the MNJTF must be reorganized with clear operational framework for effective collaborative counterterrorism operations, military infrastructure development, adequate mobilization of military personnel across force contributing countries, effective funding by affected states, and strong counterterrorism partnership with foreign countries in order to address the Boko Haram challenge — there is the need for the various security agencies in Nigeria to share intelligence among one another and coordinate their responses to such strategic ______.
- A) challenges
- B) threats
- C) issues
- D) problems
50. In early 2016, Operation Sharan Daji was launched by the Nigerian military to combat bandits in the northwest — the operation was conducted by 31 Artillery Brigade and 2 Battalion — UNICEF estimates that in 2014-2016 nearly 20% of Boko Haram suicide bombers were children under the age of 18; 75% of them were girls — the violence has forced more than 2,000 schools to close and disrupted the education of more than a million children in Nigeria’s northeast — this continues to raise serious concerns as to whether Boko Haram tactics and intelligence machinery are more sophisticated and formidable than that of the Nigerian military and security ______.
- A) apparatus
- B) forces
- C) agencies
- D) operatives
