Religion, Violence, and the State: A Political Theology of Nigeria’s Counterterrorism Framework and the Christian Community

This doctoral study develops a political theology framework to critically evaluate Nigeria's counterterrorism legal and security architecture and its implications for Christian communities in the North East and North West regions. The Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022 and associated security policies have been applied in contexts that raise significant concerns about religious freedom, profiling, and the relationship between state violence and civilian Christian populations in conflict-affected regions. Drawing on political theology, public law, and postcolonial security studies, the research employs a qualitative critical inquiry methodology combining legal document analysis, twenty policy-maker interviews, fifty community interviews in Borno, Zamfara, and Kaduna states, and comparative analysis of counterterrorism-religion frameworks in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. The study critically interrogates the theological assumptions embedded in state counterterrorism discourse, examines how Christian leaders have theologically interpreted and responded to state security actions, and develops original normative criteria for a just counterterrorism theology that protects both human security and religious freedom. Findings indicate a systematic under-theorisation of the religion-security nexus in Nigerian policy, creating conditions for abuse, misidentification, and the silencing of legitimate religious witness. The study makes an original contribution to political theology, religious freedom scholarship, and security studies in Nigeria. Keywords: political theology, counterterrorism, religious freedom, northern Nigeria, state violence