Terrorism and Insurgency in Nigeria and her neighboring countries: the Boko Haram Experience (original) (raw)
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Rethinking Terrorism And Nigeria's National Security: A Study Of Boko Haram Insurgency
Nigeria remains bedevilled by security challenges caused by the emergence and upsurge in the activities of terrorist Islamic extremists, "Boko Haram", a Hausa phrase which means "Western Education is Forbidden." The onslaught became popular in 2009 and operates mostly in the NorthEast axis of the country. This paper assessed how Boko Haram terrorist activities affected Nigeria's national security and the strategic responses deployed by the Nigerian Government to check the menace. The paper is descriptive and qualitative. It utilized published sources of data collection to access information for analysis. Findings indicate that attacks by the insurgency have destroyed lives numbering in thousands, and properties worth millions of dollars. The terrorist insurgency has negatively affected the economy, stunned the education sector, stirred humanitarian crisis, weakened the Nigerian security circle, and threatened the precarious sovereign existence of the country in myriads of ways, including the calculated attempt to Islamize the country. The Nigerian State has deployed efforts and resources in combating the terrorist insurgency since its violent escalation in 2009; however, the insurgency continues to unleash acts of terror on the country. The government's efforts seem far from achieving the urgently needed victory to put an end to the insurgency's carnages. This study thus recommends that to defeat this menace, the government should focus on creating employment, alleviating poverty, implementing community-centric strategy, international cooperation, border surveillance, security synergy, reconnaissance mission and effective judicial process.
Terrorism and Boko-Haram Insurgency in North-East Nigeria
LAPAI Journal of Humanities, 2020
The threat posed to national and regional security by the activities of such terrorist group like Boko Haram cannot be overlooked considering its socioeconomic , political and even psychological impact on the affected areas in Nigeria. The rampaging terrorist attacks on communities within the NorthEast geo-political zone in Nigeria have really contributed in the disarticulation of development process and moreover social life in these affected areas. It is evident that the continuous gap between the leadership and the led due to corruption, unresponsive leadership, unaccountability, visionless policies, unbridled yearning for continuous accumulation of wealth among other disparaging attributes of Nigeria's leadership have contributed to continuous violent extremism by such terrorist groups like the Boko-Haram. Utilizing the secondary sources of data, content analysis and the Human Security Approach, the paper examines terrorism, with emphasis on Boko Haram insurgency in NorthEast Nigeria. The paper concluded that Boko Haram insurgency in the NorthEast Nigeria remains a threat to the peace and development of the zone.
Terrorism in Nigeria: A Case Study of Boko Haram
ALIMI Etsu , 2013
The cycle of violence being unleashed on Nigerians by the fundamentalist group, Boko Haram has heightened fears among the populace and the international community that the hostility has gone beyond religions or political coloration hence the need to carry out this research. The study is made up of five (5) chapters. Chapter one takes an introductory look into terrorism in Nigeria viz a viz activities of Boko Haram. Chapter two examined different scholars’ views on Boko Haram as a terrorist group in Nigeria. Relevant theories to the study were also examined. Chapter three encapsulated the methodology used in carrying out this study. It spells out the population of the study which already resides in the topic and the sample size for the study. Analysis and description of detailed presentation of results and discussion of the study based on the data gathered in the course of this research forms the body of chapter four. Responses based on 95 questionnaires that are valid are used to examine the existence, activities and effect of Boko Haram on the Nigerian State. The response to the questionnaire was summarized in series of tables, grouped according to the research questions of the problem under investigation and analyzed using the simple percentage method. And of course, chapter five contains summary, conclusion and recommendations of this study. Certain key recommendations were made among which are reduction of drivers of extremism, intelligence gathering, enhanced surveillance, de radicalization etc.
International Intervention and Combating Terrorism in Nigeria
GLOBAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED, MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, 2021
Terrorism is a global phenomenon and since 2009 Nigeria has experienced a wave of terrorism that has left havoc in its wake. In response to this gruesome menace, the Nigerian government has employed different approaches in the fight against the Boko-Haram terrorism. All the efforts of the Nigerian government in curbing this menace have yielded little result as the Boko-Haram sect continued to unleash untold terror. The paper sought to explore and examine the efforts of the government and their allies in their fight against terrorism and examine the challenges it's facing. The paper is qualitative in nature and adopted an exploratory research design. The population of the study is the North eastern region of Nigeria where most of these gruesome attacks have been carried out. Qualitative text analysis was adopted in processing and analyzing the data collected which aided in the evaluation and interpretation of the documents. The paper found that terrorism has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian state as nothing has been done to fight the root causes of the Boko-Haram terrorism. The study also found that the international interventions in the fight against Boko-Haram insurgency like the efforts of the government have done nothing to put to an end the menace. The paper concluded that Boko-Haram terrorism broke out in Nigeria because of the failed system of the country and little or nothing have been done by the government to better the living conditions of the Nigerian citizens. It recommended that government should concern itself with strategies that would help improve the economy of the country instead of relying solely on military strategies in the fight against the Boko-Haram terrorism that has continued to plague the country.
Terrorism and Insurgency in Northern Nigeria: A Study of the Origins and Nature of Boko Haram
his study attempts to unravel the characteristics of the Boko Haram sect in northern Nigeria. The activities of the group became profound in 2009; terrorism and insurgency were identified as its major strategies. This paper engaged qualitative methods and made broad use of secondary sources. The group made greater impact in Nigeria than previous extremist groups such as Maitatsine and Shiite group, hence the need to understand its evolution, ideology and motivation. The group was discovered to have expansionist tendencies with foreign support of other Islamic fundamentalist organizations. Three motivations of the sect were pointed out to include religious extremism, resentment over the killing of their members and poverty. Among its famous attacks were the bombing of Nigeria Police Force Headquarters and the UN House both in Abuja and in 2011. It also carried out the Christmas day bombing at St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla near Abuja on 25 December, 2011. The federal government, the international community and other stakeholders took initiatives to end the onslaught through coercion, sanctions, offers of dialogue, negotiation and amnesty but all these have so far failed to bring an end to the hostilities. This study gave a number of recommendations to mitigate this prolonged crisis and concluded by underlining the importance of addressing the root causes of the problems such as poor governance, poverty among others.
The Challenges of Confronting Transnational Terrorism: A Focus on Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria
There is no gainsaying that the Boko Haram insurgency sect has transformed itself from mere home grown terrorist group to a transnational security menace. From all indications, Boko Haram has metamorphosed from low level of devising mere sectarian violence to more sophisticated level of planners and sponsors of well-coordinated and sustained insurgency geared towards the destabilizations and de-legitimization of the Nigerian state. As such, the main assumption of the paper is that the Boko Haram insurgency has grown from mere local security challenge to more of a transnational security threat. Thus, the paper has two objectives: One, to expose the transnational nature of the insurgency and, secondly, to unravel the reasons why the Nigerian state has not achieved expected results in its counterinsurgency measures against the Boko Haram and its affiliate terrorist groups. To achieve its objectives the discourse relied on secondary sources of data; to analyse the derived information the study employed the descriptive method of analysis. Furthermore, to meaningfully explain the transnational character of the Boko Haram insurgency, the paper made use of the linkage politics theory. The discourse concluded that transnational terrorists threat as the one posed by the Boko Haram insurgents demands a mix of well thought out and actionable national counter insurgency measures as well as a more deliberate and robust international partnership.
TERRORISM IN NIGERIA: THE CASE OF BOKO HARAM
Journal of Behavioral Sciences and Development Studies, 2014
This study investigates the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria and more specifically, an attempt has been made to use a theory that comprehensively explains why this sect came into existence and the audacity of its operations. The findings revealed that the sect has used the modus operandi that qualifies it as a terrorist group. Moreover, the sect's activities fall into the category of acts that the Terrorism Act 2011 of Nigeria classified as terrorist acts. The researcher predicated his analysis on the theoretical foundations of sub-cultural theory, under which Boko Haram propagates and sustains its activities. Data for the study was gathered through observation of the secondary sources like books, journals, internet, media, official documents et cetera. The method of data analysis which involved giving a qualitative description to quantitative information brings simplicity and coherence to the work. The conclusion and recommendation is anchored on the findings of the study.
Domestic Terrorism And Its Impacts On Nigerian State: An Analysis Of Boko Haram Insurgency
This study aimed at identifying major impacts of Boko Haram insurgency on Nigerian state. In carrying out this study, the paper employed documentary sources and qualitative method in generating data while Frustration aggression theory was adopted as framework of analysis. From the study it was discovered that Boko Haram insurgency impacted negatively on Nigerian state through destruction of lives and properties, disruption of business, reduction in government revenue, fear of foreign investors to live and do business in Nigeria, political instability among others. The paper examines the causative factors and unravels the dominants causes of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Specifically, it also provides a better understanding of the growth and development of Boko Haram terrorists. Consequently, the paper recommends that, instead of using military repressive actions to curb the menace, there is need for Nigerian state to address the root cause(s) of the insurgency which includes poverty, corruption, weak institutions, economic deprivation, illiteracy and religious intolerance among several others.
Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria Man, the state, and the international system
Since the July 2009 Boko Haram terrorist outburst in Nigeria, there have been increasing questions on the phenomenon in the country. There has not been any substantial analysis on the emergence of the Boko Haram group and its terrorist activities in Nigeria as the outrage continues. This study is advanced to explain the phenomenon of Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. It employs the levels of analysis framework popular in the fi eld of international relations to explain the terrorism at three major levels: individual, state and international. The study relies on dependable news reports, which include interviews with key actors relevant to the subject matter, and fi nds that Boko Haram terrorism has its roots in the ideology and motivations of its founder and members, the failures and defi ciencies of the Nigerian state, and the modern trend of religious terrorism in the international system.
Book chapter in SEARCCT’s Selection of Articles 2022, Kuala Lumpur: Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, 2022
Terrorism is a global phenomenon today. It cuts across all continents, ethnic groups and religions with deleterious consequences on the lives of the people and their properties. No one country is immune to the attacks and effects of terrorism. Nigeria as a nation-state has had its fair share of terrorist uprisings since its independence in 1960. These include the Maitatsine crisis of the 1980s in the north, the Yoruba-driven Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in the southwest region in the 1990s, and as we move into the new millennium, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in the deep south, the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the southeast, and most infamously the Boko Haram insurgency in the north. Depressing news of Boko Haram’s evil deeds in Nigeria has become a daily occurrence since the terrorist group’s emergence in the public glare in 2009. Its bombings, gunfire and kidnappings have devastated significant segments of Nigerian society, leaving behind huge ruinations of lives and properties. This chapter examines the drivers of the Boko Haram insurgency, which include high poverty rates, unemployment and bad governance. It also looks at the detrimental consequences of Boko Haram’s activities in north-eastern Nigeria. This study recommends that employment opportunities be created for the youths and graduates across all Nigerian states. Construction and industrial projects should be labour intensive rather than capital intensive, as this will assist in mopping from the streets the roving unemployed youths. In addition, the military armoury should be continually beefed up with sophisticated weapons to confront the Boko Haram fighters.