Curbing Terrorism Through Literature: A Study of Selected Nigerian War Literature (Published)
Terrorism and organised violence have become persistent threats to national security, social cohesion, and sustainable development in Nigeria. While counter-terrorism strategies have largely emphasised military and security interventions, the role of literature in promoting peacebuilding and preventing violent extremism has received comparatively limited scholarly attention. This study examines how selected Nigerian war texts function as literary instruments for curbing terrorism through the promotion of peace, reconciliation, and historical consciousness. The study analyses Eddie Iroh’s Toads of War, Isidore Okpe who’s The Last Duty, and Chinua Achebe’s Girls at War and Other Stories using Peace and Conflict Theory and Trauma Theory as complimentary analytical frameworks. Through qualitative textual analysis, the study finds that the selected texts expose political injustice, ethnic distrust, abuse of power, and social inequalities as major drivers of violent conflict, while simultaneously portraying the devastating trauma experienced by victims of war. The texts further advocate justice, dialogue, reconciliation, empathy, and national unity as indispensable conditions for sustainable peace. The study concludes that Nigerian war literature transcends historical documentation by functioning as an important medium of peace education, ethical orientation, and cultural resistance to violent extremism. It recommends the integration of literary works into peace education initiatives and public enlightenment programmes as complementary strategies for promoting non-violent conflict resolution and curbing terrorism in contemporary Nigeria.
Keywords: Nigerian Civil War, Nigerian war literature, Terrorism, peace and conflict theory, peacebuilding, trauma theory