THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY
Authors:
Dr. Ejitu N.ota, Dr. Michael C. Dike & Chiemela Godwin Wambu
Abstract:
In April 2014, an Islamic fundamentalist group in the northeast of Nigeria kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok town, Bomb State. That action, more than anything else, attracted global attention to the Boko Haram Islamic sect in Nigeria. Admittedly, the group had previously carried other terrorist acts that claimed dozens of lives in parts of Nigeria, especially in the predominantly Moslem North. But it was the Chibok kidnappings and the formation of a non-governmental organization, “Bring Back Our Girls” that sparked off a series of protests in Nigeria and several parts of the world. The official response to the activities of the Boko Haram sect also became more serious and Nigeria, along with her immediate neighbours and mercenaries from South Africa mobilized troops and turned the heat on the insurgents. Materials for this essay were obtained mainly from documentary sources and the research methodology is essentially content analysis and historical descriptive examination. It is submitted that the involvement of Nigeria’s neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram as well as the support she received from other countries have not only exposed her illusion of superiority but also portend great dangers for the country’s national security