MILITANCY AND THE DILEMMA OF PETRO-RENTIER CRIMINALITY IN THE NIGER DELTA

Al Chukwuma Okoli, David A. Nachanaa

Abstract


This paper explores the nexus between militancy and prevalence of petro-criminality in the Niger Delta. While understanding the phenomenon of petro-criminality as a critical contradiction of militancy in the Niger Delta, the paper underscores its impacts and implications vis-à-vis national sustainability of Nigeria. Relying on secondary data and appropriating the theory of structural materialism, the paper posits that the phenomenon of militancy in the Niger Delta has over the years degenerated into a morass of allied criminality in keeping with the dialectics of petro-rentierism in Nigeria. By way of recommendation, the paper posits that deterring criminal indulgence and impunity through a pragmatic, structural approach to crime prevention is a desideratum in dealing with the menace of militancy in the area under consideration. This would necessarily entail providing viable livelihood opportunities for the citizenry and strengthening extant institutional mechanisms for controlling crime.


Keywords


Militancy; petro-criminality; rentierism; Petro-rentierism; Niger Delta; structural materialism

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References


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