Lafia Journal of Religion and Humanities

This paper appraises the role of religious dialogue in conflict resolution in Benue state. Conflict is a disturbing phenomenon in human lives, which occurs in relation to interactions for socio-cultural, economic and political purposes. In the past few decades, Benue State has experienced several scores of violent conflicts resulting from communal clashes, ethnic hostilities and Fulani herders' invasions. These conflicts usually result to injuries, loss of lives and properties. Attempts at forestalling violent conflicts have yielded fewer results. Hence, the need for more practical intervention models becomes necessary, for the wellbeing of the Benue society. The aim of this paper is to examine the causes and effects of conflicts and resolution models in Benue state. To achieve this, the paper adopted qualitative approach based on descriptive and analytical methods. The paper found out that conflicts are occasioned by several factors including land shortages, political differences, marginalization, bad governance, greed and lack of respect for human life,. The paper found that so far, violent conflict has affected the State in several fronts, such as loss of lives and property, extreme poverty, hunger and displacement of thousands from their ancestral homes. The paper also found that conflicts would be resolved, when parties learn to shift grounds in their differences and also take a pluralistic approach to existence. It recommends that people should learn to settle their differences through dialogues, since violence brings setbacks to societal development. Therefore, everyone should preach love and peace, and ensure that their adherents put same into practice.

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