How does identity and collective ideology induce violence in society (Nigeria)? How does ethnic and religious diversity induce violent conflicts in Nigeria? Within these framework of questions, this chapter examines the role of ethno-religious diversity in causing violence in Nigeria, focusing on the civil war and insurgency in light of Ted Gurr’s Relative Deprivation theory. It aims to show how violence in Nigeria are induced by the ethno-religious nature of the country by using the Nigerian civil war caused by an ethnic group in southern Nigeria and the Boko Haram insurgency caused by a religious oriented group in northern Nigeria as point of discussion. It argues that the collective identity and ideology of these groups in question align well with the Ted Gurr’s theory of Relative Deprivation in the sense that what these groups are collectively aiming to achieve and have not achieved formed the basis of their engagement in violence with the state (Nigeria) and others.