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Title :

Examining the Socio?Economic and Political Background of Religious Disturbances in Northern Nigeria, up to 1965

Authors :

Auwalu Anwar

The attempt to examine the socio?economic and political background of religious disturbances in northern Nigeria up to 1965 will be better appreciated if situated within an appropriate historical context. As a result, this paper aims to discuss the socio?economic and political factors that facilitated the emergence, growth and development of militant religious ideas and beliefs within the Muslim communities of northern Nigeria in the period under consideration. The paper also sets to identify some of the key issues that have always been at the foundation of such disturbances as evidenced from the circumstances leading to their occurrence in parts of northern Nigeria. It is hoped that, at the end of the exercise, the necessary linkage between the historical background and the contemporary challenges posed by the activities of differing tendencies of insurgency, could be easily identified and appreciated. However, this does not suggest that, the causes and the consequences of all the trends of religious disturbances witnessed before and a?er the emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate were exactly the same. Certainly, they were not. Though it is not within the scope of this paper to discuss reasons for the differences in the changing circumstances over time.