Boko haram insurgency and national security in Nigeria

Abstract

The concept and nature of insurgency always invoke the spirit of terror, evil, and rebellion against a constituted authority by those who want to undermine the efforts of an incumbent regime. In fact, in its common meaning, they are terrorists. The Nigerian situation is a sterling example where a certain group called 'Boko Haram‘, has unleashed mayhem that have shocked the very political, economic and security foundations of this country. The Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalist sect which has been declared as an international terrorist organization and described as having links with another terrorist group, the Al Queda by the United States of America was born following the 2011 general elections in Nigeria. There are insinuations and charges that the insidious Boko Haram terrorist organization was created by the northern political opposition with strong support from the Islamic Middle East terrorist elements to destabilize the government, national security and peace of the nation, Nigeria. The truth remains that this deadly group has unleashed a reign of terror that resulted in callous destruction of lives both great and small, most of whom are of northern extraction of various religious divides. The foreigners who came to invest were not spared as well and properties worth billions of naira have been destroyed. Hence, the aim of this paper is to appraise this insurgency group called Boko Haram and examine how it affects our national security.

Keywords: Boko Haram, Threat, Insurgents, National security, Dreaded sect, Nigeria.