Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

This paper examines the culture of retaliation in Nigeria through an interdisciplinary lens that incorporates philosophical ethics, sociological analysis, and biblical teachings, with a particular focus on the New Testament ethics of non-retaliation. Drawing on moral theories from classical thinkers like Socrates and Kant, alongside African communitarian ethics such as Ubuntu, the study critiques Nigeria's normalization of vengeance in response to systemic violence, political failure, socio-political and ethno-religious grievances. Sociologically, it explores how patterns of retaliation are intensifiedby institutional breakdown, social identity formation, and the intergenerational transmission of conflict values. Theologically, the paper engages Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:38–48 and Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:17–21 as countercultural responses to cycles of violence. Using comparative analysis and contextual case studies, including the Boko Haram insurgency, the Niger Delta crisis, and ethno-religious violence in Plateau and Kaduna, the paper argues that New Testament ethics, when interpreted alongside African moral thought and supported by robust institutions, can provide a transformative framework for peacebuilding. It concludes that a viable path to sustainable peace in Nigeria lies not just in theological affirmations but in the integration of ethical conviction, cultural reorientation, and structural reform.

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