From "pirates" to "militants": A historical perspective on anti-state and anti-oil company mobilization among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta

Against the background of recent attempts to explain insurgencyin the Niger Delta in the context of the "greed" of militantgroups, this article argues that insurgency can best be explainedby examining the social origins of militant groups. Focusingon the case of the Ijaw of Warri, from among whom the Movementfor the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) emerged, thearticle seeks to demonstrate that insurgency is the consequenceof longstanding experiences of political and social-culturalmarginalization. Militant groups emerged as a result of thefailure of the state and oil companies to respond to peacefulprotests in previous decades.