Boko Haram Terrorism and Human Security in Nigeria: Matters Arising

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study is a contribution to the relatively few existing empirical studies on the effects of Boko Haram terrorism on human security in Nigeria. Because generating primary data on terrorism from the terrorists themselves is extremely difficult and first-hand information/statistics on the crime are often collated, classified, and restricted within the military and paramilitary formations, most researchers rely mainly on secondary sources of statistics and data to report the incident to the scientific community. Utilizing ex post facto survey research design, data were collected from newspapers and magazines, and analyzed using content analysis method. The results showed that both the intensity of terrorism and the anxieties it had unleashed on the population have resulted in social and moral panic, with dire consequences, particularly on educational development, food security, economy, national cohesion, and human rights. It was concluded that terrorism is a serious threat to human security in many fronts. The policy implication is that social capital, participatory politics, and trusted military-police-public partnership in community policing and security should be developed and sustained. The national security forces should be overhauled to eliminate sabotage, compromise, and other irregularities in the system, which has over the years, delayed winning the war on terrorism.