Exploration of society and conflicts in Kaduna Metropolis in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

Abstract

The paper using primary and secondary sources is a study the evolution of conflict as a threat to the peace and security of Kaduna metropolis and the effects of crises on its social and economic development. The finding of the paper reveal that the diversity of residents and divisions along the Christian/Muslim dichotomy in Kaduna makes the city to be reflective of the wider Nigerian society with its inherent triggers towards conflict when relations among groups are not properly managed. The paper through exploring conflicts within Kaduna in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries found that the conflicts contributed to segregation in the metropolis and greatly affected social and economic development. The paper in appraising the triggers of the various conflicts such as the Sharia crises and the Miss World riots note that these were neither inevitable or premeditated, but often occurred as a result of flashpoint events then escalated due to the absence of reliable conflict mitigating frameworks such as effective security and credible inter-faith dialogue, which would have offered rapid remedial and preventive responses cognizant of the existing fault lines.