Nigeria's return to civilian rule in May 1999 has been marked by interstices of democratic gains and unprecedented levels of violence, tension, and insecurity. Challenging the State in Africa critically analyzes the emergence of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and its quest for self-determination in Africa's most populous country and largest multi-ethnic state. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary framework, the book opens up new vistas to the connections between the absence or limited notion of citizenship (rights) and political violence in Africa. It focuses on the notion of citizenship-deficit, and it offers a critical analysis of the ways in which the gap between alienated citizens and the Nigerian state widens social cleavages, fuels alienation, and politicizes identities. (Series: African Politics/Politiques Africaines - Vol. 4)