BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AND THE INTERPLAYBETWEEN RELIGION AND POLITICS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examines the roles religion and politics play in the “boko haram” insurgency. In Nigeria, politics and religion occupy a central space. While the two individually generate a plethora of events of varying levels and implications for Nigeria, religion and politics often create a mixture of circumstances and occurrences. The boko haram insurgency is one of the many entities that represent the combustible nature of politics and religion in Nigeria. Its activities in the North-East have constituted a challenge to Nigeria’s security. The study adopts the human needs theory to explain boko haram insurgency and its effects on reli-gion and politics in Nigeria. The study employs the qualitative method and relies on sec-ondary sources of data. Specifically, the study draws data from books, book chapters, jour-nals, conference proceedings, newspapers, and online sources. These data are analysed with the use of thematic analysis, to structure the arrangement of the data retrieved by follow-ing the objectives of the study. The findings of the study reveal that corruption, radical islam, and poor governance played salient roles in the development of the boko haram sect. In line with these findings, the study recommends that the government must curtail and ultimately defeat the boko haram insurgency. The author recommends that the govern-ment intensifies its intelligence activities in order to fighting boko haram.