Communal clash and conflict management in Nigeria: An investigation of Erin Ile and Offa Crisis, 2006-2018

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Erin Ile and Offa boundary crisis has caused over fifty years of recurring waves of violent clashes that have resulted in many human and material casualties. The conflict has had dramatic consequences on the social fiber holding the two communities together, despite their proximity and historical relations. The unhealthy environment maintained by the conflict has further negated economic development in both communities with the destruction of economic facilities without adequate rehabilitation. While several Governments of Kwara State have made efforts to find lasting resolution to the conflict by securing and/or keeping the peace of the area, such efforts have not yielded desirable results, as the different interests in the conflict remain mutually exclusive. This situation is made more complicated by alternating government interventions and court rulings over the matter between 1972 and 2018. This paper investigates the conflict management situation, assessing its effects on socio-political developments and economic growth.