| Summary/Abstract |
This article examines the crackdown on Shia Muslims in Nigeria. It analyses the transition from Sunni to Shia Islam; highlights the operations of the sect; discusses the international dimension of power play; and reflects on the likely implications of the heavy-handed approach of the Nigerian state. Given the number of Shiites and the non-violent posture of its leadership, it could be assumed that the group poses no existential threat to the country. However, this article contends that the organised repression against the Shiites movement may push the group into violent extremism as a survival strategy.
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