AFRICAN TRADITIONAL VALUES AND SOCIAL ETHICS IN COMBATING TERRORISM AND VIOLENT CRIMES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This empirical study examines the relevance and applicability of African traditional values and social ethics as complementary frameworks for combating terrorism and violent crimes in Nigeria. Drawing on mixed-methods research that integrates structured interviews with 420 community leaders, traditional rulers, security practitioners, and civil society actors across six geopolitical zones, alongside an analysis of secondary data from Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics, the Global Terrorism Index, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) the study assesses how indigenous value systems, including Ubuntu philosophy, communal solidarity (Omoluabi), restorative justice mechanisms, and ancestral prohibitions on violence, function as preventive and rehabilitative resources against political violence and crime. Findings reveal that communities with robust traditional governance structures and practising active indigenous social ethics demonstrate statistically significantly lower rates of violent crime recruitment (p < .05) and enhanced community-based early warning mechanisms. The study further identifies the erosion of traditional value systems by globalisation, urbanisation, and political marginalisation as a critical vulnerability that extremist organisations exploit for radicalisation. The article recommends the institutionalisation of hybrid security governance frameworks that systematically integrate African traditional ethics with formal law enforcement, policy reform in community policing, and investment in indigenous knowledge preservation. The findings contribute to localisation debates in counter-terrorism and criminology, with significant policy implications for Sub-Saharan Africa.