Organized Violence: Ngwa Peoples' Perception of Causes, Types and Community Impacts

Abstract

Organized violence, such as terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, reprisal attacks, rape, and murder are serious epidemic, affecting institutions, communities, and individuals on a global scale. In Nigeria, between 2001 and 2011, incidences of organized violence increased from about 0.6% to about 99.4%. The Ngwa tribe (eastern Nigeria) has been particularly impacted by the increase in organized violence. This qualitative study purposefully sampled adults from the Ngwa (N=22), living in the U.S. examined their perceptions of the meaning of organized violence, its causes and its impact The study used an online and self-administered survey comprising 21 items.. Data were analyzed using the NVIVo software package for qualitative analysis. Implications for policy and future research efforts with regards to the prevention of organized violence in Nigerian communities are discussed.

Keywords: Organized violence; Ngwa people