Terrorism in the Lake Chad Region. The nexus between land borders and expansion of Islamic fundamentalism northeast Nigeria

Abstract

The present article interrogates the nexus between geography, Islamic fundamentalism and borders, in an analysis of the terrorist activities of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. The paper establishes that geography has influenced the history of the peoples in the borderlands since the pre-colonial period and continues to do so. Furthermore, it affirms that the spread of Islamic fundamentalism from North Africa, which is partly due to the geographical propinquity and the porous nature of the borders of the states that share a boundary with Nigeria, has contributed to the expansion of terrorism in the borderlands. The findings reveal that the precarious nature of the borders of states in the Lake Chad region enables the Boko Haram terrorist organisation to receive arms, ammunition and financial support from North Africa; and, likewise, to recruit, indoctrinate and train members in their various camps in the Lake Chad region. The paper, therefore, recommends that a national and sub-regional border initiative be put in place by states that comprise the Lake Chad region, so as to effectively police the borders and curtail attacks by Boko Haram. The paper employs primary and secondary sources to analyse and interpret the subject matter of the paper. It utilises transnational community theory to theorise and shed light on the cross-border dimension of human movement across borders. The paper also proffers some recommendations.