Counterinsurgency operations of the Nigerian military and Boko Haram insurgency: expounding the viscid manacle

Abstract

A number of studies have reviewed the military operational tactics vis-a-vis the claims of Boko Haram defeat. However, there is empirical evidence of soldiers’ mutiny, desertion from war fronts and low morale resulting in high success rate of Boko Haram insurgency. Despite the rise in security sector budget from about US$1.44 billion in 2009 to US2.81 billion in 2018, military-led counterinsurgency operation in Nigeria faces some notable challenges. This article, therefore, provides evidence of how military campaigns at the strategic, operational and tactical levels have been undermined by multiple factors, including corruption. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study contends that a thorough overhaul of the military counterinsurgency operations at all levels is necessary for a more effective and accountable force capable of defeating Boko Haram insurgency.