POLITICAL THUGGERY AMONG MUSLIM YOUTH IN LAFIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA NASARAWA STATE

Political thuggery is any act of intimidation, violence, hooliganism, brutality or gangsterism, weather leading to death or not. calculated to pose a threat or score political gain before, during or after election. Youths are termed as the active category from which so much is expected to achieve the societal goals like economic prosperity, political stability and social justice. The paper combines both library and field work. The research discovered that politicians and some hooligans use financial inducement to lure the Muslim youth in Lafia Local Government to unnecessarily engage in political thuggery and general social disturbances which signal negative political atmosphere in Lafia Local Government. The research found that lives and properties were destroyed, people’s image was tarnished and there was general political dissatisfaction. The research recommend among other things that the Imams should preach peace and bring out the consequences of thuggery to the notice of worshippers.