The Inordinate Activities of Boko Haram: a Critical Review of Facts and Challenges

Abstract

The insecurity caused by Boko Haram’s insurgency is among the primary challenges faced by Nigeria. The group’s activities in the North have resulted in thousands of casualties, the displacement of more than one million people, the destruction of hundreds of schools, mosques, churches and government establishments and have ravaged the economy of the region. The nefarious actions of the sect even undermine the existence of the country as a single sovereign political territory. In fact, the group’s appalling operations made it the deadliest terrorist organization worldwide in 2015. The dynamics, sophistication and boldness of the sect’s actions have raised fundamental questions about national security and governance. In March 2015 the faction, through its leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and further declared that territories under its control belong to the Islamic State and will be governed under orthodox Islamic Sharia law. The authors contend that economic deprivation and want, poverty, illiteracy, inequality and corruption are among the principal factors propelling Boko Haram’s violent rampage across northern Nigeria. This study investigates the activities of the sect, whilst underscoring the need for a permanent solution to terrorism and insurgency in.