Terrorism in Nigeria: a study of Boko Haram religious violence in North East Nigeria
Terrorism is a universal enemy of mankind. North-eastern Nigeria has been facing terrorist activities perpetrated by Boko Haram in the past decade. Researches into this area are mostly based on anecdotal sources. However, building on existing works, this study explored the causes of Boko Haram, its sources of funds and arms, relationship with the other international terrorist groups and the localization of the group to only the North-east of Nigeria. It also investigated the effect of the group on Nigeria’s national development and examined the counter and anti-terrorism efforts of Nigeria's security forces and their efficacies. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Both primary and secondary data was used for the study. Primary data was collected using the quantitative method (validated questionnaire) and qualitative technique (In-depth Interview (IDI) and Key Informant Interview (KII). Employing the purposive sampling technique, the study involved 369 respondents (150) for the questionnaire survey while the rest (219) comprised respondents for the IDI and KII. Secondary data was extracted from Police case files (Document) involving Boko-Haram members in the police custody. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis and NVivo. The findings of the study revealed that Boko-Haram was not a result of politics but a multiplicity of poor socioeconomic factors with arms and funds sourced by direct criminal activities and dependence on foreign sources. Further findings suggested, that if anything, the Sect had links with other international terrorists group and localization more pronounced to the North-eastern Nigeria based on porous extensive borders and strong Islamic belief stemming from the frequent religious upsurge in the area. The impact of Boko-Haram on national development was negative as the insurgency affected food security, disrupted educational activities, scuttled industrial development, putting domestic and foreign investment in limbo. Specifically, the finding prefigured the anti and counter-terrorism strategies of the national security forces to be ineffective but now modified to include both soft and hard power approach. The study thus portrayed Boko-Haram as a domestic asymmetric conflict and a response mode to pains of frustration and poverty seething with strains of injustice, only to be addressed not by conventional warfare approach but using a combination of both kinetic and non-kinetic power strategies of the government.
360 Social problems & services; associations
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