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<p>In recent years, the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by non-military actors (NMAs) has expanded beyond conventional battlefields to civilian and cultural spaces in Southeast Nigeria. This has intensified insecurity outside formal war zones. The existing analyses of IED violence in Nigeria have largely prioritized military fatalities and tactical innovation without addressing the cultural and symbolic dimensions of human harm. This study examines how IEDs employed by these malevolent actors in Southeast Nigeria threaten safety and cultural integrity. Drawing on the UNDP human‑security framework, we introduce cultural security as a pillar encompassing tangible (shrines, monuments) and intangible (festivals, oral traditions) heritage. Through in‑depth interviews with five community respondents in Anambra and Imo States, we document how IED blasts emptied markets, desecrated rituals, enforced compliance, and festival suspensions, and disrupted social cohesion. Anchored in Galtung’s cultural violence and Atran’s symbolic warfare theories, we show that IED violence weaponizes cultural symbols to coerce communities. We recommend co‑mapping hotspots, youth‑led patrols, and oral history archives to sustain Igbo resilience.</p>

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When Violence Targets Meaning: Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Cultural Harm, and Human Security in Southeast Nigeria

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月23日

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  • Mark Peter Jatau,
  • Felix Chidozie,
  • Nsemba Edward Lenshie

摘要

In recent years, the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by non-military actors (NMAs) has expanded beyond conventional battlefields to civilian and cultural spaces in Southeast Nigeria. This has intensified insecurity outside formal war zones. The existing analyses of IED violence in Nigeria have largely prioritized military fatalities and tactical innovation without addressing the cultural and symbolic dimensions of human harm. This study examines how IEDs employed by these malevolent actors in Southeast Nigeria threaten safety and cultural integrity. Drawing on the UNDP human‑security framework, we introduce cultural security as a pillar encompassing tangible (shrines, monuments) and intangible (festivals, oral traditions) heritage. Through in‑depth interviews with five community respondents in Anambra and Imo States, we document how IED blasts emptied markets, desecrated rituals, enforced compliance, and festival suspensions, and disrupted social cohesion. Anchored in Galtung’s cultural violence and Atran’s symbolic warfare theories, we show that IED violence weaponizes cultural symbols to coerce communities. We recommend co‑mapping hotspots, youth‑led patrols, and oral history archives to sustain Igbo resilience.