Political Violence And Insecurity In Nigeria: A Case Study Of Kalare Political Thugs In Gombe State, Nigeria

The study examined political violence and the effects of Kalare thugs on socio-economic activities and national security in Gombe State. Every society across the globe has its peculiar problem and challenges. Nigeria as a developing country faces social, political, economic, religious and cultural problems which affect security and well-being of the populace. Political violence and the rising wave of crimes have serious implications for security and national development. Since independence, Nigerian politics has been characterized by thuggery and violence. Hence, in the Nigerian context, politics is regarded as a dirty game and the politicians use and sponsor thugs and hooligans to win elections. Political thuggery has become an integral part of politics and the political sphere is characterized by incessant intimidation, assault, deaths and destruction of property. Since the return of democracy in 1999, Gombe State has experienced quite a number of political violence due to the involvement of Kalare into political activities. Kalares' activities virtually became part of the electoral process in the state, making politics a battle ground where they harass, intimidate, assassinate and deter political opponent during electoral campaigns and elections. Once election is over, Kalare thugs resort to all sort of crimes to make ends meet. This affects the socio-economic activities and national security in Gombe State. The paper adopts Elite Theory as theoretical framework. Cluster and simple random samplings were used in the study. Gombe metropolis was chosen for the study and five political wards out of the eleven were selected. These include Bolari East, Bolari West, Herwagana, Jekadafari, and Pantami. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were the major instruments for data collection. The paper recommends among others, Politicians should eschew from recruiting youths into political thuggery and who ever is caught sponsoring Kalare in the state should be dealt with in accordance with the law.