Civil Society in the shadows of Nigeria’s Core Conflicts Civil Society in Shadows of Nigeria’s Core Conflicts – A Panoramic View Dr Bakut T. Bakut Introduction Nigeria got her independence in 1960, Since then the country has been grappling with various types of conflict, ranging from ethno­religious, political/electoral crisis to resource-based conflicts. Right from the advent of democratisation in 1999 Nigeria has experienced more agitations due to more freedom of expression and increased politicking. In the same vein, militancy, insurgency, intense criminality, armed banditry, farmer-herder conflict among others have become some of the major challenges impeding democratisation from yielding the dividend of democracy and development in Nigeria. These challenges have worsened insecurity, socio-economic and political development of the nation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nigeria| 8