Abstract
Religion and ethnic identity have played a significant role in upholding the belief system and cultural heritage of humankind on earth; transcending from one generation to another by emphatically focusing on the importance of life and peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, these cor value has loosened its grip as people now kill one another based on sustaining religious and ethnic identity. This study investigates the ethno-religious conflict and demographic change in Plateau State. Literature was reviewed thematically; the study was anchored on Push and Pull Theory. The study was conducted in North and Jos South LGAs, the study population was 1,060,192, being the adult population from 18 years and above drawn from the INEC register (2024), a sample size of 400 respondents was drawn from the study population using the Taro’s statistics formula for determining sample size. The study adopted cluster sampling techniques where Jos North made up the first cluster and Jos South constitutes the second cluster.Structured questionnaire instrument was used for collecting quantitative data while the in-depth interview was used for collecting qualitative data. Data collected using questionnaireinstruments was analysed using descriptive statistics (simple statistics while the interview conducted was interpreted, transcribed and subjected to thematic content analysis.The study revealed that the violent ethno-religious conflicts has divided Jos city into predominantly Christian and Muslim settlement, 56.0% agree that the city is divided in to predominantly Christian and Muslim settlement. It also revealed that move to resolve the violent ethno-religious conflicts in Jos include adoption of the establishment of inter-religious conflict resolution committees as a strategy, declaration of emergency rule and imposition of curfew in 2004, established non-kinetic strategy and Open Plateau for Peace Initiative to address issues of basic social needs like water and food in communities riddled with conflict among other minor efforts. This study recommend that government should set up a truth and reconciliatory committee to oversee the factors influencing violent ethno-religious conflicts in the study area, it further recommends that government should invest in public housing where apartments can be allocated irrespective of ethnic and religious affiliations to enable the residents readjust to one another irrespective of religious and ethnic identity in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Keywords: Change, Conflict, Demographic, Ethnic, Religious,
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