A series of authoritarian and corrupt governments have allowed Nigeria to become a poster child for the ill effects of the oil industry. By entertaining relationships with big oil companies and western governments dependent on oil, Nigeria has suffered large-scale human rights abuses, poverty and environmental degradation. Security forces, dispatched by the Nigerian government to protect oil company interests, have murdered non-violent protestors, tortured Nigerian citizens and burned entire villages in the Niger River Delta (the oil rich area of the nation). In addition to non-violent forms of protest, many groups have taken up arms in an effort to secure access to oil and liberate themselves from oppressive governments.

It is estimated that conflicts in the Niger Delta account for over 1000 deaths each year. For further information on the toll violence has taken on Nigeria, please visit Human Rights Watch. National Public Radio (NPR) also has a series of programs devoted to the dire situation in Nigeria.