BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN NIGERIA: CASE OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (2009-2018)

Abstract

The article examines the activities of Boko Haram insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria and the proliferation of Internally Displaced Persons (1DPs) between 2009 and 2018. The outbreak of Boko Haram insurgency heralded a new phase in Nigeria’s insecurity challenges. Boko Haram which started as a religious sect metamorphosed into a high-intensity violent organisation in terms of operations, attacks, and sophistication and proved to be a potent force affecting the social, economic, and political developments of the state. The study adopts exploratory research techniques that rely on secondary sources of information to understand the linkage and intricacies between human security and conflict. This article speaks to broader debates of IDPs and the utility of Nigeria’s current approach and frameworks for addressing protracted displacement and humanitarian crises. The article argues that the dimension and deep suffering of IDPs, government attitudes to its responsibilities on IDPs, and gross violation of IDPs human rights are particularly products of government’s failure to give legislative backing to some of its regulatory frameworks and policies on IDPs. The article concludes that government’s failure to accord necessary statutory and legal support to some of these policy frameworks is one of the essential factors responsible for the fragile protection of IDPs. Given this, governments at all levels must embark on the urgent task of securing a comprehensive framework for IDPs.