The inherent variations in cultural orientations, cultural decadence, and ‘generation gap’ or ‘institutional age separation,’ occurring roughly every twenty-five years, have contributed to ideologies and beliefs that made the younger generation susceptible to violent terrorism in north-west Nigeria from 2011 to 2024. The adoption of democratic governance in 1999 disrupted the young generation’s outlook, with older generations dominating the polity, creating an environment of non-inclusiveness. Consequently, many youths became vulnerable to crimes such as prostitution, banditry, kidnapping, and serving as mercenaries of terrorism. In 2011, Zamfara State emerged as the epicentre of armed bandit terrorism, with spillover effects in Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi States, amplified through the mechanisms of globalisation. Globalisation, through internationalisation and cultural universalisation, transformed the world into a ‘global village,’ promoting borderless territorialities and the proliferation of arms and ammunition. This facilitated the exploitation of youth credulity, escalating violent terrorism, and prompting the deployment of kinetic and non-kinetic counterterrorism strategies. Terrorism reached its peak between 2015 and 2024, driven by heterogeneous psycho-cultural beliefs, generation gaps, encroachment on grazing routes, poverty, corruption, fragile institutions, wealth-seeking, drug abuse, and cyclical conflicts. The study recommends ameliorating these causes through cultural revival, proactive government interventions, and organisational engagement. Employing historical methods and qualitative content analysis, the paper highlights the interplay of generational, socio-cultural, and global factors in sustaining terrorism and proposes strategies to restore social cohesion and security in north-west Nigeria.