essay on terrorism in nigeria

Challenges of Insecurity and Terrorism in Nigeria: Implication for National Development

OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 08, No. 02, pp. 11-18, 2015

8 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2015 Last revised: 13 Apr 2015

Callistar Obi

Delta State University - Department of Economics

Date Written: February 28, 2015

Insecurity and terrorism has been a major challenge to the Nigerian government in recent times. The activities of the Islamic sect (Boko Haram) had led to loss of lives and properties in the country especially in the Northern part of Nigeria. Some of these activities include bombing, suicide bomb attacks, sporadic shooting of unarmed and innocent citizens, burning of police stations, churches, kidnapping of school girls and women, etc. Kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and political crises, murder, destruction of oil facilities by Niger Delta militants alongside the attacks carried out by Fulani Herdsmen on some communities in the North and South have been another major insecurity challenge facing the country. Nigeria has been included among one of the terrorist countries of the world. Many lives and properties have been lost and a large number of citizens rendered homeless. Families have lost their loved ones. Many women are now widows. Children become orphans with no hope of the future. This has implications for national development. Government had made frantic efforts to tackle these challenges posed by terrorism and insecurity in the country and put an end to it but the rate of insurgency and insecurity is still alarming. The events surrounding September 11, 2001 and other recent events of terrorism across the globe especially the current wave of terrorism in Nigeria, had focused our minds on issues of terrorism and insecurity. This study therefore, investigated empirically the challenges of insecurity and terrorism on national development in Nigeria. The scope of the study spans from 1990 to 2012. Data used for this study was sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin, Newspapers and related journal articles on security issues. Using ordinary least square method of analysis, the result showed that terrorism and insecurity impacts negatively on economic development. It has made government to divert resources meant for development purposes to security votes. Expenditure made by government on security matters had significantly and positively impacted on economic development implying that expenditure on security matters has helped to ameliorate the negative effect of terrorism and insecurity despite the fact there is a crowding-in effect of security expenditure on economic development. This finding is in line with other studies on different countries of the world. It is therefore recommended that government should declare war on terrorism and seek assistance/advice from international communities who have in the time past faced this kind on challenge and were able to tackle it. The Nigerian Military should be empowered more with arms to fight this insurgency. Government should beef up security in the eastern and southern parts of the country to curb the menace of insecurity. Grazing grounds or/and ranches should be built in all states of the country for Fulani herdsmen who rear cattle.

Keywords: Boko Haram; Insecurity; National development; Nigeria; Terrorism

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Callistar Obi (Contact Author)

Delta state university - department of economics ( email ).

Abraka PMB 1, Delta State Nigeria

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Country Reports on Terrorism 2021: Nigeria

Overview: ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA) and Boko Haram (BH) continued attacks against  government and security forces and civilians in the North East region of the country, which  resulted in deaths, injuries, abductions, and the destruction of property.

BH attacks did not appear to discriminate between civilians and government officials, whereas  ISIS-WA generally focused attacks on government and security forces and expanded efforts to  implement shadow governance structures. Following BH leader Abubakar Shekau’s death in  May, BH’s attacks in Nigeria decreased and thousands of BH fighters reportedly surrendered in  the largest wave of defections since 2002. The Nigerian Air Force deployed A-29 Super  Tucanos purchased from the United States against BH and ISIS-WA, beginning in September.

The Nigerian Army largely succeeded in preventing terrorists from overrunning forward  operating bases for extended periods of time. However, BH and ISIS-WA exploited the  military’s absence outside the “super camps” and abducted aid workers, attacked humanitarian  operations hubs, and controlled security along many of the major roads. The deteriorating  security environment exacerbated conditions for civilians and severely constrained relief  operations in northeastern Nigeria.

Nigeria worked under the MNJTF with neighboring countries to counter terrorist activity in the  region. ISIS-WA continued to enjoy a large degree of freedom of movement throughout Borno  State and eastern Yobe State. BH and ISIS-WA terrorist actions contributed to the internal  displacement of an estimated two million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States, and the  external displacement of more than 328,000 Nigerian refugees to neighboring countries,  principally Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Attacks and kidnappings in the North West and North Central regions of the country by criminal  gangs colloquially known as “bandits” reportedly caused more civilian deaths in 2021 than BH  and ISIS-WA in the Northeast. Nigeria designated these groups as terrorists under domestic law  on November 25 to maximize a federal security response, including the increased use of the  military. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), separatists designated by the Nigerian  government as a proscribed terrorist group in 2017, reportedly conducted violent attacks in the  Southeast.

Nigeria is a member of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Program. U.S. Mission Nigeria  coordinated with the Nigerian military at the Nigerian Defense Intelligence Agency’s (NDIA’s)  Joint Intelligence Fusion Center (JIFC), Geospatial Intelligence Directorate Analysis Center, and  Nigeria Defense Intelligence College. NDIA leadership requested assistance from the embassy  to help build the JIFC’s capabilities.

Terrorist Incidents in 2021: BH and ISIS-WA carried out hundreds of attacks in Nigeria using  small arms, captured military equipment, improvised explosive devices (person borne, vehicle borne, and animal borne), ambushes, and kidnappings. The following list details a fraction of the  incidents that occurred:

• On February 23, a BH rocket attack in Maiduguri, Borno State, reportedly killed at least  16 civilians, including nine children.
• During March 1-2, ISIS-WA attacked a humanitarian hub in Dikwa, Borno State, forcing  dozens of NGO staff to flee and take refuge while the attackers burned several NGO  compounds.
• On April 5, gunmen believed to represent IPOB and its Eastern Security Network  attacked a jail in Imo State, reportedly freeing nearly 2,000 inmates and killing one police  officer.
• On April 9, fighters believed to be BH insurgents attacked in Adamawa State, killing at  least five civilians and abducting around 30 women. The fighters set fire to  approximately 50 homes, as well as churches, government buildings, schools, and other  property, before withdrawing. At least 5,000 people were displaced to neighboring  communities.
• On December 23, rockets reportedly fired by ISIS-WA exploded near the airport in  Maiduguri, Borno State, minutes before President Buhari was scheduled to arrive by  plane.  Four civilians on the ground were reportedly killed.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Nigeria uses the Terrorism Act of 2011,  as amended in 2013, to criminalize and prevent terrorist acts and financing. Although there were  no changes to Nigeria’s counterterrorism legal framework in 2021, on October 21 UNODC and  the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies launched a user guide to the Terrorism Act for  law enforcement and judicial officials.

The Office of the National Security Advisor is responsible for coordinating all security and  enforcement agencies, including the Department of State Security (DSS), the Nigeria Security  and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the Ministry of Justice, and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF),  which has a Counterterrorism Unit and Terrorist Investigation Branch. Border security  responsibilities are shared among the NPF, the DSS, the NSCDC, Customs, Immigration, and the  Nigerian military. Coordination among agencies was limited.

The Nigerian government has cooperated with the United States and other international partners  to prevent further acts of terrorism in Nigeria.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Nigeria is a member of the Intergovernmental Action  Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), an ECOWAS regional body and  affiliate of FATF. GIABA published a report in August assessing Nigeria’s counterterrorist  financing measures. GIABA concluded that Nigeria has not adequately prevented BH and ISIS WA from moving revenues through its financial system, noting that Nigeria largely prefers  intelligence, military, and law enforcement responses to terrorism, as opposed to methods that  counter terrorist financing. Nigeria is seeking FATF membership and is working toward meeting  its requirements, including by addressing GIABA’s findings. Nigeria’s Financial Intelligence  Unit (NFIU) was readmitted to the Egmont Group in 2018 after the NFIU became an  independent agency, a change intended to make the NFIU more effective at combating money laundering and corruption.

Countering Violent Extremism: Nigeria’s disarmament, deradicalization, and reintegration  efforts are not currently well developed or coordinated.

International and Regional Cooperation: Nigeria continued high-level participation in  regional security and counterterrorism conferences. The country participated in several CT  trainings sponsored by the United Nations. In May, participants at the 30th session of the UN  Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice organized an event focused on the  effective criminal justice response to terrorism in northeastern Nigeria. Nigeria is a member of  the GCTF and co-chairs its Criminal Justice and Rule of Law Working Group with  Switzerland. Nigeria also is an International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law Board  Member.

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Terrorism in Nigeria

• First Online: 04 December 2020

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• Segun Joshua 6 &
• Felix Chidozie 6  

Part of the book series: Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development ((AAESPD))

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Terrorism has become one of the most attractive concepts in the field of security studies, especially since the international security architecture was radically transformed in 2001 following the 9/11 incident in the United States. Thus, terrorism has acquired a transnational outlook in the global governance agenda. This chapter is an attempt to explore the issues surrounding terrorism in Nigeria, since the recent upsurge in terrorist activities has drawn immense interest from both local and international stakeholders. This chapter is a desk study which borrows heavily from secondary sources of data to examine meaning and feature(s) of terrorism, types of terrorism, theoretical explanations of terrorism in Nigeria, a historical overview of terrorism in Nigeria, cases of terrorists attack and effects of terrorism on the Nigerian economy, politics and diplomatic relations. It argues that the causes of terrorism in Nigeria are multidimensional in nature and scope, suggesting a multi-stakeholder approach to stemming the tide in the polity. It further establishes an inextricable link between terrorism and religious fundamentalism in the Nigeria experience. It concludes that unless the country cooperates with other international actors, especially her immediate neighbours in combating the menace of domestic terrorism, it will remain vulnerable to terrorist activities which have increasingly become globalized in nature and scope.

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Joshua, S., Chidozie, F. (2021). Terrorism in Nigeria. In: Ajayi, R., Fashagba, J.Y. (eds) Nigerian Politics. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50509-7_14

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IMPACT OF TERRORISM ON NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY: A CASE STUDY OF THE MULTINATIONAL JOINT TASK FORCE (2010-2019)

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Diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and her neighbors has been marred recently by Boko Haram Insurgency, lack of security of lives and property in Nigeria has led to reduced life expectancy for the citizens, low national growth and development which is primarily due to the activities of terrorist (Boko-Haram) in Nigeria and its borders. Nonetheless, few empirical studies exist to ascertain this fact even though the general public perceived low growth and development as the resultant effects of terrorist activities in the country. This study provided empirical evidence on Nigeria’s foreign policy and the role of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in tackling the menace of terrorism. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design in sampling 150 MNJTF personnel in order to assess their opinion on the influence of Nigeria’s policy in their fight against terrorism. The findings revealed that policy changes as regards to counterterrorism funding and personnel welfare funding have affected their activities and operations. The study also, discovered that MNJTF faced challenges such as; delay in payment of allowances, inadequate logistics and so on. Notwithstanding, the challenges, the MNJTF have recorded success in their fight against insurgency. Therefore, there is need for governments within the Lake Chad Basin to give more support and commitment to the MNJTF in their fight against terrorism.

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In May 2014, the then Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, President Goodluck Jonathan declared that Boko Haram insurgents had killed over 12,000 Nigerians. Eight months later, the new Commander-in-Chief agreed that the figure had risen to over 20,000 and over one million people have been displaced. Under President Jonathan, aside human lives and valuables, the group challenged the territorial integrity of Nigeria, controlling 13 of the 27 local governments in Borno State. When Buhari came to power, the aggressive military operation that commenced at the tail end of Jonathan’s administration was intensified. Nigeria regained her territory but the group is as deadly as before. Though weaker, it changed form and maintained its status of terror; and we cannot say game over yet. The battle against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has been on for more than five years. Why has it taken so long and we are yet to see the finishing line? Using case study method, a probe into this situation reveals that: one, the life of Boko Haram was the one given by the Nigerian government, particularly under the administration of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan. Two, insurgency and/or terrorism can be a card in domestic power game. Three, owing to the foregoing, a factor perceived as necessary to the domestic politics of a country can cause security plight for its neighbors. The accessible data source for this paper was secondary data, mainly online newspapers and interviews. The scope of this paper falls under the “Political Conflicts and regional Implications” thematic area of the conference. The fight against Boko Haram has ceased to be solely a Nigerian affair since the group began attacks on Nigerian neighbors in early 2014. What appeared to be Nigerian problem eventually birthed the reformation of Multinational Joint Task Force made up of Nigerian, Cameroonian, Nigerien, Beninois and Chadian forces; and has attracted military supports from the United States and France, among others. The paper is divided into two major parts: insurgency in Nigeria; and the Nigerian government and insurgency.

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Terrorism in Nigeria - statistics & facts

Jihadist fundamentalism, conflicts between pastoralists and the nomadic fulani, key insights.

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• Basic Statistic Number of fatalities from terrorism in Africa 2007-2019, by country
• Premium Statistic Violent attacks by extremist organizations in West Africa 2018-2020, by country
• Basic Statistic Deaths caused by Al-Shabaab in Somalia 2017-2022

Fatalities due to terrorism worldwide, by country 2022

Number of fatalities due to terrorist attacks worldwide in 2022, by country

Terrorism index in African countries as of 2022

Number of terror-related attacks in Africa 2007-2019, by country

Number of terrorist attacks in African countries between 2007 and 2019

Number of fatalities from terrorism in Africa 2007-2019, by country

Number of terror-related deaths in African countries between 2007 and 2019

Violent attacks by extremist organizations in West Africa 2018-2020, by country

Terror events involving violent extremist organizations (VEOs) in West African countries between October 2018 and September 2020

Deaths caused by Al-Shabaab in Somalia 2017-2022

Number of deaths caused by Al-Shabaab in Somalia from 2017 to 2022

Domestic terrorism

• Basic Statistic Terrorism index in Nigeria 2011-2019
• Premium Statistic Risk index score of money laundering and terrorist financing in Nigeria 2018-2023
• Basic Statistic Number of deaths and injuries related to terrorism in Nigeria 2019
• Basic Statistic Number of people kidnapped in terrorist attacks in Nigeria 2017-2019

Terrorism index in Nigeria from 2011 to 2019

Risk index score of money laundering and terrorist financing in Nigeria from 2018 to 2023

Number of deaths and injuries related to terrorism in Nigeria 2019

Number of deaths and injuries related to terrorism in Nigeria in 2019

Number of people kidnapped in terrorist attacks in Nigeria 2017-2019

Number of people kidnapped in terrorist attacks in Nigeria from 2017 to 2019

Terrorist groups

• Basic Statistic Terrorist groups responsible for the most fatalities worldwide 2020
• Basic Statistic Deaths caused by political instability in Nigeria 2011-2023, by perpetrator
• Premium Statistic Terror-related deaths from attacks by Fulani extremists in Nigeria 2019
• Basic Statistic Christians killed by terrorist groups in Nigeria 2015-2020, by perpetrator

Terrorist groups responsible for the most fatalities worldwide 2020

Number of fatalities due to terrorist attacks worldwide in 2020, by responsible terrorist group

Deaths caused by political instability in Nigeria 2011-2023, by perpetrator

Number of violent deaths caused by political instability and citizen alienation in Nigeria between 2011 and 2023, by perpetrator

Terror-related deaths from attacks by Fulani extremists in Nigeria 2019

Number of terror-related deaths from attacks by Fulani extremists in Nigeria from 2017 to 2019

Christians killed by terrorist groups in Nigeria 2015-2020, by perpetrator

Number of Christians killed by terrorist groups in Nigeria between 2015 and 2020, by perpetrator

• Basic Statistic Deaths caused by Boko Haram in Nigeria 2023, by state
• Basic Statistic Suicide bombings carried out by Boko Haram in Nigeria 2019
• Basic Statistic Number of civilians killed in Boko Haram's attacks in Nigeria 2020-2023
• Basic Statistic Deaths from Boko Haram attacks on military targets in Nigeria 2018-2019

States most affected by Boko Haram's deadly attacks in Nigeria from 2011 to 2023

Suicide bombings carried out by Boko Haram in Nigeria 2019

Suicide bombings carried out by Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2019

Number of civilians killed in Boko Haram's attacks in Nigeria 2020-2023

Number of civilians killed in Boko Haram's attacks in Nigeria from February 2020 to May 2023

Deaths from Boko Haram attacks on military targets in Nigeria 2018-2019

Number of terror-related deaths caused by Boko Haram attacks on military targets in Nigeria in 2018 and 2019

Economic cost of terrorism

• Basic Statistic Global economic costs of terrorism 2000-2019
• Basic Statistic Economic impact of terrorism in Africa 2007-2019, by country
• Premium Statistic Economic cost of terrorism in Africa 2019, by country
• Premium Statistic Economic cost of terrorism as share of GDP in Nigeria 2017-2019

Global economic costs of terrorism 2000-2019

Global economic costs of terrorism from 2000 to 2019 (in billion 2019 U.S. dollars)

Economic impact of terrorism in Africa 2007-2019, by country

Economic impact of terrorism in African countries between 2007 and 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)

Economic cost of terrorism in Africa 2019, by country

Economic cost of terrorism as percentage of GDP in selected African countries in 2019

Economic cost of terrorism as share of GDP in Nigeria 2017-2019

Economic cost of terrorism as percentage of GDP in Nigeria from 2017 to 2019

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Reports of 4 dead in Georgia high school shooting, 1 person in custody

At least four people were killed in a shooting at a Georgia high school on Wednesday, CNN reported.