Nigeria and the Emergence of Terrorism: A Study of Causes and

Effective Strategies in Combating Terrorism by the Government

By

Uwaegbute Kingsley

Ikechukwu

Uwaegbute Kingsley holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours)

in

Religion and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies; all from the

prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Abstract

This work studied both the variables that led to the emergence of

terrorism in Nigeria and some strategies to be used in combating

it. It adopted phenomenography as a research methodology in its

approach to discussing its subject matter. The work defined

terrorism from the perspective of use of organized violent acts

targeted against both the state and non-combatants which are

designed to achieve political, religious, social or ideological

goals. In the context of Nigeria, the work pointed out some

variables that led to the emergence of terrorism. These

variables include abysmal poverty religious fanaticism, ethnic

and religious politics, unemployment and inability of the

government to stop various recurring violence in Nigeria. In the

same vein, the work advocated for solid intelligence gathering

among security operatives in Nigeria, tightening security in

Nigeria’s borders, use of novel technologies and equipment and

cutting off the sources of finance of terrorists in Nigeria as

some strategies that will be helpful in combating terrorism.

Key Words: terrorism, Boko Haram, Nigeria, poverty, religious

fanaticism, corruption, strategies

Introduction

Terrorism is a complex global phenomenon. It is known to have

been part of human civilization. This is because as researches

have shown, human civilization has been replete with terrorist

acts no matter how unsophisticated (Gerard, 2007; Laqueir, 2000).

Terrorism, in its simplest definition, refers to violent acts

that are intended to create fear and, perpetrated for a wide

range of reasons. These reasons may be for achievement of

political, ideological or religious goals (Ruby 2002). These

violent acts are perpetrated by people commonly called

terrorists; these terrorists usually direct their violent acts

against non-combatants which may include neutral military

personnel and civilians. However this is not to say that national

symbols and institutions are not targeted by terrorists. Equally

worthy to say is that terrorist acts may be perpetrated by

individuals, groups or even states. Presently, terrorism has

become a global phenomenon which poses a threat to world peace

and human development especially in the Middle East and parts of

Africa. This becomes evident in the face of human and material

resources which terrorism has claimed over the years globally

(Kugel 2011).

In Nigerian context, terrorism is fairly a new phenomenon.

Admittedly, Nigeria is a country with huge history of both

secular and religious violence (Karuiki 2010; Lynch 2010;

Uwaegbute 2014). This violence has been perpetrated by different

ethnic and religious groups. And as it turned out, this violence

has taken a huge toll on Nigeria as a country. But as devastating

as this violence may have been, they not qualify as terrorist

acts. Even the Maitatsine disturbances of 1980s which had aspect

of terrorism cannot be categorized as such (terrorism). Rather,

these Maitatsine disturbances were religiously induced violence

(Uwaegbute 2014; Imo 1995). These all justify the thesis here

that terrorism is fairly new in Nigeria. However, there is no

denial that these violent disturbances over the years in Nigeria

mixed with abysmal poverty, corruption, religious fanaticism etc,

culminated in the emergence of terrorism in Nigeria today (Achebe

2012; Okereke 2013).

Arguably, terrorism arose in Nigeria with the emergence of

the Islamist sect called Boko Haram. With Boko Haram’s breathe of

violence which began in July 2009 in parts of North -Eastern

Nigeria, the stage became set for the rise of terrorism in

Nigeria (Agbiboa 2013). Beginning from 2010 when it has been

suggested Boko Haram galvanized itself into a terrorist group,

terrorism became a phenomenon in Nigeria. In contemporary

Nigeria, Boko Haram’s terrorism has spread like savannah bush

fire resulting in heavy loss of lives and wanton destruction of

property.

In reaction to these, the federal government has responded

to combating the terrorist activities of Boko Haram. One of the

strategies of the federal government is the militarization of

states designated as terrorist haven. Hence the declarations of

state of emergency in states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in May

2013 (Agbiboa 2013). However, the ineffectiveness of this

militarization strategy has left much to be desired. This becomes

evident in the fact that since the declaration of state of

emergency in 2013 in these states mentioned, terrorist activities

of Boko Haram seem to have exacerbated in Borno, Yobe, and

Adamawa. This has even led Boko Haram to declare some parts of

these states Islamic caliphates (BBC News August 25,

2014;Adepegba, Soriwei and Muhammed 2014). Equally, Boko

Haram’s terrorist acts have made inroads into Abuja the nation’s

capital. This culminated to both Nyanya, and Wuse II bombings in

April and June 2014 respectively. This has led a scholar like

Kukah (2014) to criticize the militarization strategy of the

federal government in combating terrorism.

In view of these, this work seeks to critically study

some variables that led to the emergence of terrorism in Nigeria

and also proffer some effective strategies that will help curb

the menace of terrorism in Nigeria today. Since this is a

descriptive qualitative study, the researcher adopted

phenomenography as its methodology. Phenomenography seeks to

describe the effect of people’s experiences on phenomena

(Hitchcock,2006;Bowden, 2005;Norton,1989). In other words,

phenomenography studies phenomena as products of human

experiences. This methodology is very suitable in the context of

this research because, as shall later be discussed, the rise of

terrorism in Nigeria has been described as the product of

impoverishment and corruption which have plagued the country for

so long especially in northern Nigeria. Hence, these harsh

experiences culminated to the rise of terrorism in Nigeria.

Conceptualizing Terrorism

Here the paper considers:

Origin of the term terrorism

According to Online Etymology Dictionary (2010), terrorism

comes from the French word terrorisme. Originally, this referred

specifically to state terrorism as practised by the French

government during its reign of terror from 1793 – 1794. Terrorisme

as a French word is in itself a derivation of the Latin word

terreō which translates as “I frighten” (Campbell, 2001). Terreō is

a Latin word used in reference to terror cimbricus which was a

state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of

warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105BC. This was the model adopted

by the Jacobins when imposing the reign of terror during the

famous French revolution (Numberg, 2001). However, it seemed

that when the Jacobins’ imposition of reign of terror failed, the

word terrorism became a pejorative and abusive word (Numberg,

2001). This was the metamorphosis of the French word terrorisme

into modern English Lexicon which became known as terrorism.

Lexically, in modern English, terrorism is a noun. In the same

vein, the word terrorist (someone who commits terrorist acts) is

also a noun (Dictionary.com 2014).

History of Terrorism

It is pointed out in the introductory part of the paper that

human history has known terrorism no matter how unsophisticated.

Here, the paper traces the earliest known terrorist acts in human

history. The history of terrorism dates back to the 1st century

AD in Judea during Roman rule in Palestine. It started with the

Sicarii Zealots, a Jewish extremist group active in Judean province

then. The Sicarii Zealots were an extremist offshoot of the

Zealots. The Zealots themselves were extremists who opposed

Roman domination of Jewish nation (Josephus Antiquities; Ellison,

1988). The Zealots’ opposition to Roman rule led to an uprising

in the 1st century AD in which prominent collaborators with Roman

rule were killed (Josephus Antiquities). In AD 6, one Judas of

Galilee formed an extremist offshoot of the Zealots which he

called the Sicarii (Gerard 2007). The Sicarii Zealots directed their

terrorist activities against Jewish collaborators including

temple priests, Sadducees, Herodians and other wealthy elites

(Gerard, 2007; Ellison, 1988). These Sicarii Zealots even had

sponsors just like today’s terrorists (Ellison, 1988).

In modern history, which is after the industrial revolution

in Europe, modern acts of terrorism started. It has been pointed

out here in this paper about the coinage of the word terrorism

from the Jacobins activities during the French revolution from

1793-1794. This having been said, it is worthy of being pointed

out that the development of modern warfare has a huge tie with

the development of modern terrorist tactics. For example,

Crenshaw (1995) writes that the first act of terrorism involving

the use of bombs was in 1858. This was when Felice Orsini threw

three bombs in an attempt to assassinate French emperor Napoleon

III. It was reported that eight bystanders were killed and 142

injured. This incident, believes Crenshaw (1995), was a huge

inspiration for the development of other terrorist groups.

Among the earliest terrorist groups was the Irish Republican

Army (IRA) which was credited to have used the most modern

terrorist tactics (English, 2007). The Irish Republican Army

(IRA) initiated the Fenian dynamite campaign in 1881 which were

set off in the heart of Britain. This was a ploy to create fear

among British people and therefore achieve political gains

(English, 2007).

The same is said of Narodnaya Volya, an anarchist group turned

into revolutionaries in Russia in 1878. This was the brain child

of Sergey Nechayev. This group targeted killing leaders of

oppression using dynamite indiscriminately as an effective

terrorist tactic (Hoffman, 1998). During the 20th century, more

terrorist groups sprang up owing to various political, social and

religious dominations by various colonizing nations of the world.

Definition of Terrorism

One factual agreement among researchers in the field of

terrorism is that it (terrorism) lacks a universally accepted

definition. A whole lot of reasons have been given for this.

The first is that the term terrorism is used pejoratively either

by the state or, by those opposing terrorism. In other words,

terrorism is a pejorative and abusive word used by political

leaders against perceived opponents of the state (Hoffman, 1998).

This may be why terrorists do not see themselves as terrorists.

Rather, most terrorists point out that being labeled terrorists

is a political term of discredit used by political leaders

against them (terrorists) who are considered enemies of the

state. Hence, researchers in the field point out the pejorative

connotations of the term terrorism (Thomspon, 2005).

In alignment with the above, there is disputation as to

which acts are actually terrorist acts. This becomes inevitable

since the state itself may adopt terrorism as a part of foreign

policy or, a tactic used in face of domestic opposition.

Equally, there are strong indications among some philosophers

that terrorism is permissible in some situations. These

situations, these philosophers say, may arise when the intension

is outweighed by the violence involved or, when the very life of

a people is threatened (Rodin, 2006; Steinfels, 2003).

This, equally, leads to the argument among some schools of

thought that there is a thin line separating terrorism and

liberation struggle. In other words, most notable freedom

fighters have employed terrorist tactics as an effective way of

fighting oppression. This is exemplified in the case of anti-

apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela who was branded a terrorist

by both apartheid regime in South Africa and some western

countries because of his support for the use of violence against

apartheid regime in South Africa from 1961 – 1993 (Mandela,

1994).

The same is said of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) which

the British branded terrorists because of their use of violence

in fighting against British domination of Irish people. This is

aligned with the first point raised here that terrorists do not

see themselves as terrorists. Rather, most terrorist groups call

themselves freedom fighters, liberators, separatists,

revolutionaries, militants, paramilitary, rebels, guerrillas,

patriots etc. In contemporary times, especially in the Arab

world, most terrorist groups have described themselves as

Jihadists, Mujahideen, Fedayeen etc. These Arabic words have

connotations akin to liberation and political struggle.

This has been the case recently in Afghanistan, (Taliban)

Israel/ Gaza/Palestine (HAMAS), Iraq/Syria (Islamic State of Iraq

and the Levent, otherwise called IS), Ukraine (Russian

separatists), Nigeria (Boko Haram), Somali (Al Shabab) Mali

(Azawad separatists), Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood), Central African

Republic ( Anti-Balaka and Seleka rebels) etc. Most of these

groups, in one way or the other, have been categorized as

terrorists. But in truth, some of these groups are more of

liberation strugglers than terrorists. Their fight is for

political independence; be their motivation, political, religious

or ideological. This therefore culminated in the saying that

“one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” This

also points to the fact that the definition of terrorism is a

matter of researcher’s point of view.

In furtherance of the discussion here, the paper gives a

definition/description of terrorism. Admittedly, terrorism

involves the use of violence to achieve an end. These violent

acts are meant to create fear among people thereby giving

terrorists leverage in their cause. These violent acts could be

committed by individuals, groups and even the state itself and

are done for a wide range of reasons. Equally, a wide range of

tactics may be used in terrorism which includes bombing (suicide

bombing), assassinations and use of cohesive force on civilians.

This is why terrorism is a type of warfare called guerrilla

(Green, 2006). It is therefore a strategy and tactic used by

weaker sides in conflicts. On a whole, terrorism is seen here as

organized violent acts committed by groups which are targeted

against perceived enemies (the secular state, religious groups,

secular groups, or civilians) as a means of achieving goals which

may be political, religious, social, economic, or ethnical in

nature.

Types of Terrorism

This depends heavily on country, political system and time

in history. However, terrorism can be categorized into:

Civil Disorder

In modern age, some philosophers and freedom fighters have

taught that people have the right to civil disobedience.

Prominent freedom fighters like Mandela (South Africa) Gandhi

(India) and Biko (South Africa) have used civil disobedience as

an effective tool of freedom fighting. But when a form of

collective violence interfering with peace, security and normal

functioning of the community is embarked upon by people, this

becomes a form of terrorism. This is civil disorder and some

researchers have called it a form of terrorism (Cooper, 1976).

State Terrorism

In human history, especially in the 20th century, many

terrorist states have existed. The examples of Stalin (Russia),

Mussolini (Italy) and Hitler (Germany) reflect this fact. These

states qualify as terrorist states because they employed fear and

oppression as effective tools of governance. Hence, when states

rule based on fear and oppression, this qualifies as state

terrorism. State terrorism may be also directed towards other

foreign nations. Modern theorists also talk about structural

state terrorism which happens when terrorist acts are carried out

by governments in pursuit of their foreign policy (Cooper, 1976).

Religious Terrorism

Religious teachings have always been a huge source of

violence in human societies. Some people use religious teaching

to perpetrate violence against people of other religions or the

secular state. From 20th century upwards, religious motivations

have been a huge source of terrorism all over the world

especially in Muslim countries. As most researches have shown,

religion is a huge source of violence which leads to

irrationality, unreasonability and extremism (Hitchens, 2007;

Uwaegbute, 2014; Harris, 2004).

In contemporary times, religious terrorism is associated

with Islamic religion (Qamar, 2010; Hitchens, 2007; Harris,

2004). Most western societies associate terrorism with Islamist

Jihadists and their extremist intolerant behaviours against non-

Muslims. In all, when a particular religious group direct

violent acts against people of other religion or the secular

state, based on their religious teachings, this qualifies as

religious terrorism.

Political Terrorism

This refers to violent criminal behaviours designed

primarily to create fear in the community or substantially

segment it for political purposes. Political terrorism is

usually characterized by a revolutionary approach in which

revolutionaries seek to seize power or control of the state.

When this is not directed for the purpose of capturing the state,

this becomes limited political terrorism (Cooper, 1976).

Causes of terrorism: Some Variables that led to Emergence of

Terrorism in Nigeria

A whole lot has been blamed by researchers as being

responsible for the rise of terrorism in Nigeria. Some of these

variables are hereby discussed.

Abysmal Poverty and Corruption

These two variables have been part of the Nigerian society

since independence in 1960. However, the expected reduction in

both poverty and corruption in Nigeria by successive governments

have been a woeful failure. In other words, 54 years of

independent rule in Nigeria have failed to tackle the problem of

poverty and corruption (Uwaegbute, 2013). This is evidenced in

the fact that as of April 2014, the World Bank estimates that

Nigeria accounts for 33% of the world’s poor (Omoh, 2014).

Invariably, this led the World Bank to rank Nigeria third on

world poverty index. This is a pointer to how poverty has become

a phenomenal problem in Nigeria.

This situation is made worse by high unemployment rate in

Nigeria today (World Bank, 2013). Presently, Nigeria is ranked

153 out of 188 countries as long as human development is

concerned (Ebhomole and Ateba, 2013). Though Nigeria is a poor

country, the problems of poverty seem to be higher in the

northern part of the country. This northern part equally lack

basic infrastructures that aid human development (Maku, 2012).

Equally, many researchers have blamed corruption as the cause of

rise of terrorism in Nigeria (Achebe, 2012; Karuiki, 2010).

Corruption is an endemic problem which has eaten deep into the

fabric of Nigeria.

These situations described here have actually created

favourable conditions that led to emergence of terrorism in

Nigeria. This is why Achebe (2012) wrote that:

Economic deprivation and corruption produce and

exacerbate financial and social

inequalities in a population, which in turn fuel

political instability .Within this environment,

extremists of all kinds- particularly religious zealots

and other political mischief makers- find a foothold to

recruit supporters and sympathizers to help launch

terrorist attacks…(p.250).

Of course, it is a fact that poverty, corruption and religious

indoctrination go hand in glove. In the case of Nigeria this is

a fact as seen in the words of Karuiki (2010):

Corruption and poverty are so embedded that it even

disturbs those few Nigerians who can avoid these

problems. Faith thus becomes the fix for many

Nigerians. When people do not have much, religion

becomes more important (p.1).

This is absolutely true in Nigeria especially in the northern

part of the country. This is exemplified in the case of Boko

Haram whose original members consisted mostly of impoverished

women and children, unemployed polytechnic graduates, drug

addicts and almajiris. These people formed the original

communities of Boko Haram who according to Isa (2010) were

wrecked by:

Poverty, deteriorating social services and

infrastructure, educational backwardness, rising

numbers of unemployed youths, dwindling fortunes in

agriculture … and the weak dwindling productive base of

northern economy (p.329).

Thus Boko Haram was the product of impoverishment and ineffective

social services and infrastructures in the north. When this is

mixed with radical Islam and its promise of better life for

Jihadists, it becomes quite obvious why terrorism has a huge

attraction for youths in northern Nigeria.

Religious Fanaticism

Religious fanaticism bothers on irrational and extremist

approach to the practise of religion (Uwaegbute, 2014).

Religious fanaticism therefore places some religious adherents

beyond every reasonable approach to the practise of religion

(Harris, 2004). Nigeria is a country where religious fanatics of

all kinds exist (Achebe, 2012, Onunwa, 2012). To be fair, both

Christianity and Islam have fanatical worshippers but it seems

that Islam produces more fanatics especially in northern Nigeria.

Since Islam is the predominant religion in northern Nigeria,

this part of the country has been a safe haven for Islamic

fanatics of all kinds. The history of northern Nigeria is always

mixed with that of religious fanaticism (Agbiboa, 2013). Right

from the Jihad of Uthman Danfodio, northern Nigeria has been

replete with religious fanaticism. From the time of Maitatsine

uprising in the 1980s to present Boko Haram insurgency, northern

Nigeria has witnessed huge religious violence which has claimed a

lot of lives. This is linked to continued radicalization of many

Muslims in the north. This is not helped either by the promise

of better life for Jihadists who die fighting as thought by hard-

line Muslim mullahs /mallams. In northern Nigeria of today,

religious fanaticism has led to the current insurgency of Boko

Haram in which both human and material resources are heavily lost

daily.

Negligence on the part of the Government and Nigerian Citizens

Like most things in Nigeria, the Nigerian government and her

citizens have not actually taken proper notice of how inimical

religious violence can be to a nation. In other words, the

government in particular, has never been able properly tackle the

problem of recurring violence over the years in the country.

This violence has therefore culminated to rise of terrorism in

Nigeria today. This is why Achebe (2012) wrote that:

In many respects, Nigeria’s federal government has

always tolerated terrorism. For over a century, the

federal government has turned a blind eye to waves of

ferocious and savage massacres of its citizens- mainly

Christian southerners; mostly Igbos or indigenes of the

Middle Belt; and others- with impunity (p.251).

If one considers various recurring violence in Nigeria in which

both human and material resources are lost, one cannot help but

agree with Achebe’s position.

On the other hand, Kukah (2012) has raised the point that

most Nigerians adopt a non-chalant attitude to both religious

violence and sects that perpetrate it. Kukah argues that had

Nigerians been more sensitive to security threats in their

environments, terror group like Boko Haram would have been

earlier detected before its transformation into a terror group.

In other words, Kukah argues that the environment that nurtured

Boko Haram considered them illiterate and ignorant people not

knowing that they had other ulterior political motives. This

negligence therefore has led to the problem of Boko Haram

insurgency today.

Ethnic and Religious Politics

Ethnicity and religion have always played a huge role in the

politics of Nigeria (Ngele, 2008; Kukah1993).Right from Nigeria’s

independence in 1960, affiliation to an ethnic or religious group

has been a deciding factor in who rules Nigeria. Even in present

times this still happens. This has led Babatunde Fashola, the

present governor of Lagos state, to point out that Nigerians

should not use religion as a criterion of choosing their leaders

(Farotimi2014).Imo (1995) and Uwaegbute (2014) have all shown how

politicians in Nigeria use religious sentiment to incite violence

among the populace. David Mark, the current senate president of

Nigeria, corroborated this fact when he said that politicians in

Nigeria practise religious politics (Ogunmade,2014).This is why

Mark cautions Nigerians to separate religious issues from those

of politics. Presently, the exacerbation of terrorism in Nigeria

has partly been attributed to the support some disgruntled

religious, political and ethnic groups give terrorists as a

reprisal for their not staying in power (Jasser, 2014). All this

relate to the fact that ethnic and religious politics fan the

embers of terrorism in Nigeria today.

Strategies in Combating Terrorism in Nigeria

Mention has been made in this paper about the military

strategy adopted by the federal government in its fight against

terrorism in Nigeria. However, the effectiveness of this

strategy has been questioned by a lot of people (Kukah, 2014;

Zayyana, 2014). This is made evident in the fact that since the

declaration of state of emergency by the federal government in

2013 in states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, terrorist activities

of Boko Haram have exacerbated in northern Nigeria. It has even

spilled over to other states like Kano, Kaduna and Gombe. Hence

there is need to adopt other strategies in addition to the

military solution. This is because as Green (2006) warned:

Because of the asymmetry of forces at play in the

terrorist strategy, military solution is often the

least effective. Terrorist are very vaporous, spread

out, linked not physically but by some radical and

fanatical idea (p.193).

In view of this, the work proffers these strategies which will be

effective in combating terrorism in Nigeria. They include:

Identifying and drying up the financial sources of

terrorists in Nigeria

Globally, terrorists have sponsors (Green 2006). This is

because terrorism is an asymmetric warfare which pits terrorists

against larger armies. In this regards, terrorists need

financial backup to withstand the pressures of these armies.

Hence, terrorists reach out to people or organizations

sympathetic to their cause for financial support. These may be

individual, secular or religious groups or even the state in some

cases.

This is applicable to Boko Haram terrorists operating in

Nigeria. Admittedly, there are indications that bank robbery and

kidnapping are sources of funds for Boko Haram (Onu 2011;

Ibrahim, 2011) but the sophistication of Boko Haram’s

technologies and war equipment presently tells the fact that they

have huger sources of funds. The Nigerian government and its

security operatives have been blamed for their inefficiency in

tracking the sponsors of Boko Haram.

There are also indications, as Agbiboa (2013) points out,

that with Boko Haram’s link to al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb

(AQIM), the group began to have sponsors from groups in Saudi

Arabia and United Kingdom. This also applies to strong

indications raised about the possibilities that Al Mutanda Trust

Fund and Islamic World Society sponsor Boko Haram. This, of

course, was revelation made by Boko Haram officials captured in

2012 (Agbiboa, 2013). However, who these sponsors in Saudi

Arabia and United Kingdom are remains to be pointed out by

security operatives in Nigeria. Equally the means through which

these financial aids are given to Boko Haram remains to be

uncovered.

Moreover, there are strong indications that Boko Haram has

financial backers in Nigeria. For example, Aziken (2012) points

out that the revelation of captured former Boko Haram spokesman

Konduga alleged that Shekarau, former Kano state governor and

Aliyu Babangida, present Niger state governor, placed members of

Boko Haram on monthly salary. Also Senator Ali Ndume from Borno

state has been accused of sponsoring Boko Haram. This allegation

has continued in present times with accusing finger being pointed

at senator Ndume as a sponsor of Boko Haram (Ekpeyong Ita

2014).Also the role played by Ali Modu Sheriff, former governor

of Borno state, in the formation of Boko Haram is still

questionable. Though Sheriff still denies being a Boko Haram

sponsor (TVC News, September 6,2014),allegations are still rife

over his involvement in Boko Haram activities. The same goes to

the revelation made be a Nigerian soldier fighting Boko Haram in

Borno which show that some notable Borno politicians sponsor Boko

Haram (Ikeke, 2014). There are no indications that any of these

allegations were properly investigated by security operatives in

Nigeria. None of these people (with the exception of Ndume) were

either prosecuted or convicted, an indication that these

allegation were dispelled as usual political smears.

It is therefore in line with all these that the work

believes that if efforts are made by security operatives in

Nigeria to identify the sources of fund of Boko Haram, this will

enable them cut off this line of financial support of Boko

Haram. This, in turn, will weaken Boko Haram’s terrorist

activities in Nigeria.

Solid intelligence gathering and sharing among security

operatives in Nigeria

Terrorism is a game of intelligence. This is because

terrorists rely heavily on intelligence gathering from vast array

of networks which aid them carry out their terrorist activities

(Green 2006). In order to counter terrorism, solid intelligence

gathering about the plans and activities of terrorists is highly

important. This is where security operatives in Nigeria have

been accused of failure. Critics like Kukah (2014), Okereke

(2014) and Zayyana (2014) have heavily stressed the need for

solid intelligence gathering and sharing among security

operatives in Nigeria as a huge way of countering terrorism.

In addition, this is to be backedup by infiltration of

terrorists ranks in Nigeria. However, it seems that terrorists

in Nigeria have been the ones who have actively utilized this

strategy to their advantage. There are strong indications that

Boko Haram terrorists have infiltrated the ranks of security

operatives in Nigeria. Some high ranking security personnel in

Nigeria have been found culpable of aiding Boko Haram’s cause.

This even includes some high powered military personnel in the

Nigerian army (Leadership Newspaper June 3, 2014).

In the above regard, the suspicious role played by Zakari

Biu the commissioner of police in charge of criminal

investigations Abuja in 2012 over the escape of Kabiru Sokoto, a

Boko Haram suspect is still fresh in the mind of many Nigerians.

Sokoto, of course, was the mastermind of St. Theresa Madalla

Catholic Church bombing in December 2011. This bombing claimed

44 lives. More recently, the court marshalling of some high

powered military personnel and other soldiers in Nigeria over

alleged role in aiding Boko Haram’s cause reflect how sympathetic

some security operatives in Nigeria have become to Boko Haram

(Leadership Newspaper June 3, 2014; Daily Sun Newspaper,

September 29, 2014). The United States government even

corroborates the above said by pointing out that part of her

reason for refusing to sell the Nigerian army arms and ammunition

stems from her findings that some Generals in Nigerian army

collaborate army with Boko Haram terrorists by revealing

important military tactics and strategies to be used in fighting

Boko Haram (Naij.com 2014; BBC News November 10, 2014).

This equally goes to president Good luck Jonathan who admits

that terrorists have infiltrated his government (Punch Newspaper

January 9, 2012; The Guardian, January 9, 2012). These all show

how Boko Haram terrorists have utilized infiltration as a huge

strategy favourable to their cause.

In furtherance of the discussion here, the individual

Nigerian has a role to play in this intelligence gathering and

sharing. The ordinary Nigerian citizen should help to give

security operatives accurate and related information about

activities of terrorists provided such informants are hugely

protected to avoid reprisal attacks from terrorists as have been

seen in Borno state where informants have been killed by Boko

Haram for disclosing information about them(Boko Haram). This,

will in turn, make the work of security operatives easier. It

will also help reduce terrorist activities in Nigeria.

Tightening Security along Nigeria’s Border

Nigeria’s borders, especially the land borders in northern

Nigeria, are very porous (Okereke, 2014). In other words, there

is a huge security problem along the land borders of Nigeria. In

states like Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Jigawa bordering countries

like Cameroon, Chad and Niger, border security in these places is

very porous. Besides, there are illegal crossing points in these

states. It has been reported in 2013 that Nigeria Immigration

Services uncovered 1,487 illegal entry routes to Nigeria (Okereke

2013). Most of these illegal entry routes in Nigeria are found

in northern Nigeria. Musa (2013) points out that between Damaturu

and Maidugri axis, there are about 250 footpaths that link

Cameroon, Chad or Niger. These footpaths are relatively unknown

to security operatives.

These strongly support the fact that security is very

porous in these borders. With the uprising in Libya (2011), Mali

(2012), Central African Republic (2013-present), arms and weapons

proliferation has been done through these porous northern

borders. This porous nature of Nigerian borders has also been

blamed for the arms that al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)

supplies to Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria (Musa, 2013). These

porous borders which aid trafficking in arms admits Musa (2013),

has been a major challenge to the fight against terrorists in

Nigeria. Hence, there is urgent need for the government to secure

its borders to forestall these illegal trafficking in arms by

Boko Haram insurgents. If this is done, then the routes through

which these terrorists get their guns have been cut off. It will

add hugely to the reduction of terrorist activities in Nigeria.

The use of novel and state-of-the-art technologies

To combat terrorism, the government needs to embark on use of

state-of-the-art technologies. These include using sophisticated

gadgetry like mounting Close-Circuit Television cameras (CCTV)

and explosive dictators in strategic places in Nigeria including

Nigeria’s land borders. These should be used for surveillance

purposes since they can produce images, record and also detect

explosives devices. This method has proved effective in

combating terrorism in western societies (Okereke, 2013). The

case of Boston marathon bombing in the United States in 2013

reflects how useful Closed-Circuit cameras are. The

perpetrators of these bombings were caught on camera dropping off

bombs in their choice places which later exploded during the

Boston marathon. This led to the apprehension of these

terrorists.

Some of these novel technologies have not actually been

installed in Nigeria nor made appropriate use of as a counter

terrorism tactic. This has really given terrorists edge over

security operatives in Nigeria. These novel technologies should

help in combating terrorism instead of incessant setting up of

road blocks by the Nigerian army which inconvenience Nigerian

public.

Fixing Nigeria’s domestic problems; tackling poverty, corruption

and unemployment

These variables have been shown as push factors of terrorism in

Nigeria (Agbiboa, 2013; Kukah, 2012). Since some of these

variables are more perverse in northern Nigeria, youths in the

north have been drawn to terrorism. Achebe (2012) has clearly

pointed out that the vicious circles of poverty and corruption in

Nigeria which are indices of a failed state have really led to

rise in terrorism. This of course is a huge fact. As Okereke

(2013) argues, it takes amazing brain washing for a gainfully

employed Nigerian to become a stooge in the hand of terrorists.

Conversely, this is an indication that a hungry man is always an

angry man. And an angry man with heavy grudges against the

government is despondent to terrorism. Hence, to forestall

further springing up of other terrorist groups in Nigeria, the

government must find ways of tackling high rate of poverty,

corruption and unemployment seen in Nigeria today. When and if

this is done, then further formation of terrorist groups in

Nigeria would have been averted.

Recommendations

i) The government needs to throw in everything it has in its war

against terrorism in Nigeria.

ii) A tighter border control is very much imperative in Nigeria

to forestall the movement of arms and ammunition by terrorists.

iii) Tracking and prosecuting sponsors of terrorists in Nigeria

equally imperative.

iv) There is need for Nigeria government to look inwards and

tackle some root causes of terrorism which include extreme

poverty, recurring ethnic violence, corruption etc.

v) Huge intelligence gathering on the activities of terrorists by

security operatives will help curb terrorism in Nigeria.

Vi) Every Nigerian should be security conscious as regards

possible activities of terrorists in their communities.

Conclusion

Terrorism has become a part of Nigeria. In fact, presently

terrorism is on the increase as Boko Haram activities have all

affected Nigerians negatively. Its roots are traceable to

problems of poverty, corruption, religious fanaticism, ethnic and

religious politics etc which have, for a long time, plagued

Nigeria. There is therefore urgent need to adopt viable counter-

terrorism strategies that will ensure the curtailing of terrorist

activities. The discussions in this work were geared towards

achieving this. The strategies discussed in this work are not

only viable but practical. It is also believed that these

strategies will be very useful in countering terrorism in Nigeria

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