ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, much of the sprawling northern region of Nigeria has been characterized by intermittent riots and revolts, which have had adverse effects on the area in both human and material terms. One of the earliest manifestations of sectarian violence in the region was the Maitatsine uprising, which broke out in the northern city of Kano in December 1980 and spread to other northern cities, including Maiduguri in 1982, Kaduna in 1982, Jimeta-Yola in 1984, and Gombe in 1985, leaving more than 10,000 people dead before it could be suppressed by the military in 1985. The Boko Haram revolt started to make local and international headlines under the administration of President Yar'Adua, who hailed from the north. Thus, the insurgency was not a destabilization tool to make the country ungovernable for Ijaw-born President Jonathan.
