Ethnic Conflicts and Internally Displaced Persons in Rumuekpe and Igwuruta Communities of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The return to democratic dispensation and the surge to acquire political power had led to increase in violence in the Niger Delta region. This assumed different dimension for national issues as competition for scarce resources are being instigated by “inter-elite” rivalries over contradictions of ethnic diversity. These incessant struggles and the competitions had resulted into outright denial of people’s right and privileges as well as displacement of indigene and non indigene in that area. The study contended that the dynamics of internally displaced persons in the Niger Delta region were deeply rooted in the contradictions of ethnic diversity. The study is a documentary research and data were analyzed through qualitative descriptive method. Using human needs theory, the paper noted that, the need for the IDPs to be fully re-integrated into society, and the responsibility of public authorities to avoid neglect, discriminatory practices of marginalization, deprivation as well as the exploitation of the indigene non-indigene issue. It is urgent to meet the social needs of the IDPs, and their recognition and social inclusion into the society in the Rivers state, for peaceful coexistence in assuring freedom for the development of people. The study therefore recommends the following that government should ensure that specific needs of internally displaced persons are reflected in the national and local developmental plan.

Received: 15 February 2021 / Accepted: 1 September 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021