Boko Haram Crisis Research Articles

Effects of Boko Haram Insurgency on Students’ Enrolment and Perforamce in North-East Nigeria (A Case Study of Yobe State)

Armed conflict has become a challenging phenomenon especially in the Northeastern part of Nigeria. The paper studies the effect of armed conflict on students’ enrolment and performance in the Northeast region of Nigeria. The study being qualitative, utilized data obtained through key informants’ interview and secondary sources. Hence, 48 respondents were purposefully interviewed due to their experience on the issue. Indeed, finding indicates that armed conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast Nigeria has negatively affected students ‘enrolment and their performance in schools due to students dropping out of school, as many males headed households in the region and Yobe State were either killed or displaced thereby leaving most women as widows and children as orphans. It is noted that many students who were affected by the Boko Haram crisis have either dropped out from school or have suffered one form of inconvenience or the other. In view of the findings, the paper suggests that government and all stakeholders in the education and development circle should as a matter urgency intervene to save the current worrisome situation. It is also suggested that more needs to be done to fast track enrolment campaign drive that may assist the government, communities, traditional rulers, religious leaders, teachers towards enrolling students back to schools like their fellow counterpart.

Determinants of child survival practice among caregivers in internally displaced persons' camps in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria.

Child survival remains a major public health challenge in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, especially Nigeria. The Boko Haram crisis, which has aggravated this, has led to the displacement of many people in the north-eastern region, including children under five. This study investigated the determinants of child survival practice among caregivers in internally displaced persons' (IDP) camps in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data on determinants of child survival practice from 312 caregivers in five purposively selected IDP camps in AMAC using the snowball sampling technique. Data were analysed using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics at 5% level of significance. The mean age of respondents was 29.6 ± 6.72 years. There was a significant (p < 0.05) relationship between the predisposing, reinforcing, enabling and environmental factors studied and child survival practice. Findings also indicated that all factors were significant (p < 0.05) predictors of child survival practice with the reinforcing factor being the major predictor (ß = 0.38; t = 6.08). Attention needs to be paid to all factors, particularly the reinforcing factor of social support in order to promote optimal child survival practice among caregivers in AMAC IDP camps. Collaboration with social work professionals would be an added benefit to enhance social support.

Prevalence of Boko Haram crisis related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology among internally displaced persons in Yobe state, North East, Nigeria

Prevalence of Boko Haram crisis related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology among internally displaced persons in Yobe state, North East, Nigeria

An Assessment of Boko Haram Crisis and the Socio-Political Development of Borno State, Nigeria

Purpose: This research work attempt to examine the Boko Haram crisis in Borno State and how it undermines socio-political development, with Maiduguri being our case study. The work has five chapters, each chapter structured in analysing the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria and how it affects the socio-political development of Borno State.&#x0D; Methodology: the research developed twelve questions, these questions were administered in form of questionnaires to 400 people who were selected as a sample of the population primary and secondary data were used as a source of data while tables and percentages were used in organizing and presenting the data collected.&#x0D; Findings: The data analysis revealed that Boko Haram crisis has created so many backwardness, hatred, national disintegration and lack of unity in Nigeria.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The researcher therefore recommended that for Boko Haram crisis to be prevented, the government should take adequate measures to shut down any training terrorist camps operated by the Boko Haram sect. Then, the nation will start experiencing peace, oneness, security, national unity, development and progress for the betterment of all Nigerians.

Exploring the Relationship Between Antenatal Care and Postnatal Care to Newborn Outcomes in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria

The Boko Haram crisis displaced people from the community leaving very little health infrastructures that cause limited access to health services. Since then, newborn outcomes (morbidity or mortality) have been on the increase in Borno State. This study explores the relationship between antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) and newborn outcomes among women in Mafa local government area, Borno State. A cross-sectional study assessed data from the village health worker (VHW) project implemented in Mafa LGA, Borno State from December 2019 through November 2020. Sociocultural and quality of care factors were assessed to determine quality of health care services for 1,641 women aged 15-49 who participated in the VHW intervention. Logistic regression was applied to the data to determine how quality of care factors influence newborn outcome. The study found statistically significant result between ANC and PNC with newborn outcomes (<i>p < </i>0.05)<i>. </i>Women who attended ANC while pregnant were 0.030 times less likely (<I>OR = </I>0.030,<i> </i>95% CI [0.020, 0.046], <i>p</i> < 0.05) to experience newborn outcomes than pregnant women who did not attend ANC. Innovative and effective ANC and PNC intervention programs, together with education/health promotion interventions and policies have the potentials to address the rising newborn outcomes for people of Borno State.

Censorship, citizenship and cosmopolitan unity in Muslim and Christian creative responses to repression in northern Nigeria

AbstractNigeria is often portrayed as having a ‘Muslim north’ and a ‘Christian south’. Such representations oversimplify the complicated interrelationships between the two religious communities and their geographic locations. Similarly, while much has been written on the conflict between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, there has been less scholarly attention to the philosophical and communal relationships between adherents of the two religions in northern Nigeria. I argue that there are parallels in the way in which Hausa-speaking Muslim artists responded to a censorship crisis in Kano State in 2007–11 and in the way in which Hausa-speaking Christian musicians from Nigeria’s north-east responded a few years later to the Boko Haram crisis. I examine Muslim filmmaker Hamisu Lamido Iyantama’s response to the Kano State Censorship Board, alongside Christian musician Saviour Y. Inuwa’s response to Boko Haram. Iyantama and Inuwa both counter repressive forces by expressing parallel understandings of their identities as citizens in the pluralistic state of Nigeria and as righteous members of universal religious communities that emphasize God’s justice in the end times. I argue that these Hausa-language artists present a vision of cosmopolitan unity across ethnicity and religion, as an alternative to the repressive forces of both state censorship and the anarchic violence of Boko Haram.

Seasonal Variability of Phytoplanktons in the Non-Point Source Polluted River Nggada, Maiduguri – Borno State, Nigeria

Borno State is the epicenter of Boko Haram crisis which displaced millions of individuals. Maiduguri metropolis which became the principal refuge centre, has witnessed a rapid demographic change, land use and economic activities resulting into intense irrigational practice along the bank of river Nggada. This may result into changes in the physico – chemical parameters of the aquatic ecosystem and the dynamism may disrupt phytoplantonic community. The study was aimed at assessing the seasonal variability of phytoplanktons in non-point source polluted river Nggada of Maiduguri. Water samples for physico -chemical analysis were collected bi-weekly for a period of 11 months at three sampling stations. Physico-chemical parameters, including Dissolve Oxygen (DO), Dissolved Nitrate concentration, Dissolved Phosphorus Concentration, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Surface Water Temperature (SWT) and potential Hydrogen (pH) were determined using standard procedures. Results indicated that all physico – chemical parameters except temperature, DO and pH of the river during both irrigational and non-irrigational regimes were slightly above the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency’s (NESREA) permissible limits. A total of 7 classes (Cyanophyceae Chlorophyceae, Cryptophyceace, Euglenophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Crysophyceace and Rhodophyceae) and 16 genera of phytoplanktons were identified. The results further revealed that the irrigation activities (dry season) have impacted on the physico – chemical parameters (pH, DO, TDS, nitrate and phosphate concentrations) of the study area. Remarkably, the changes in the physico – chemical parameters during the irrigational regime (dry season) have not impacted on the abundance and distribution of phytoplanktons. Hence, the non-point pollutants influenced the physico – chemical parameters of the river butalgal abundance and distribution were not influenced by the changes in the physico – chemical parameters of the river. The study thus, recommends the continuous monitoring and systematic effort to conserve the bio-resources and water quality of the river

Decapitation strategies and the significance of Abubakar Shekau's death in Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis

Abstract Decapitation strategies have often been linked to counterterrorism. The existing literature suggests the results of these strategies are mixed. Previous studies suggest that the death of a prominent leader may not necessarily end the crisis; it all depends on the group's infrastructure, ideology, leadership traditions, and extent of its penetration in society. This article takes a critical look at the impact of a recent leadership decapitation in Nigeria. Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram movement in the Lake Chad Basin countries, was killed on 19 May 2021 by a faction of the movement known as the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP). This article argues that Shekau's case has paradoxically helped to strengthen ISWAP's position, giving it new recruits and other resources and perhaps most importantly reinforced its position with local communities. This has implications for the Nigerian state, its neighbours and, because of Boko Haram's links to ISIS, the wider war on terrorism.

Communal Conflicts and Agricultural Development Programmes Implementation in the North-East Geo-political Zone of Nigeria

This article views communal conflicts which are capable of hindering agricultural development programmes from implementation in the North-East Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria. The region is bedeviled with series of protracted communal conflicts, ranging from herders-farmers’ bloody clashes, political conflicts, religious conflicts, ethnic conflicts and the Boko Haram crisis. These conflicts have affected the growth and development of the region and a spillover in Nigeria. The article ventures and explore the possible causes of communal conflicts, highlights the agricultural programs in the region and the solutions which centers on government intervention with the appropriate machineries and policies in order to put an end to this bloody conflict with the aim to strengthen the economic activities and development in the region, Nigeria and Africa in general. Conflict theory was used to explain the article.

Beyond Proscription: Rethinking Government Response to ‘Yan Shilla’ Gang Violence in Yola Metropolis of Adamawa State, Nigeria

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Adamawa State in North-Eastern Nigeria has been battling with the Boko Haram crisis for over a decade. While the group is yet to be significantly decimated, a new gang known as Yan Shilla has emerged and continues to wreak serious havoc among the inhabitants of the state. Within a month of the emergence of a new political administration in the state in May 2019, the group was banned. This paper critically examines the implications of the proscription of the group, and general peace and security of the state. Using the theory of securitization, the paper argues that, although proscription of the group has heralded attention of security agents to the threat of the group, it does not constitute sustainable management of gang violence in the state. The root of the crises such as widespread poverty, decadence in education, and increase in school drop-out rates have fuelled the emergence of the criminal gangs in the state. Consequently, the paper recommends that the Nigerian government and the state in question should consider addressing the root causes of its myriad of security challenges by addressing widespread poverty, education, and unemployment among the youths. Similarly, the government should prioritize education through funding and also criminalize political patronage of these gangs by the politicians. Finally, it is also recommended that good governance should be entrenched in the political administration of the state.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

The Anglophone Crisis: The Birth of Warlords, the Impact of Warlords Activity on the People of North West and South West Region of Cameroon

Things are falling apart in Cameroon, as the marriage of inconvenience between the Former British Southern Cameroon (West Cameroon) and The Republic of Cameroon (East Cameroon) is about to explode into a violent crisis. Cameroon which is a member of the Central African community (CEMAC), shares borders with Nigeria which has an ongoing Boko Haram crisis, Chad is suffering from not only droughts but also Boko Haram crisis, the Republic of Central Africa also has political tensions, and Gabon amongst others. This article overviews the Cameroon Anglophone crisis and the Birth of warlords. The main objective of this study is to analyze the birth of Warlord, the impact of the Warlords on the people of (NW and SW), possible solutions to the crisis. In the process, the article also highlights gang violence by warlords and the Military of Cameroon, which includes: 1) Displacement of thousands of people (internal and external displacement), 2) imprisonment of thousands of civilians both those allegedly concerned and those innocent, 3) heavy loss of property by government and civilians not only in the two English speaking regions but the entire country as a whole. This article is a sociological analysis of the phenomenon, the birth of Warlords and the intensification of gang violence on the people of Northwest and Southwest of Cameroon. Using a qualitative case study based research strategy, this research investigates and analyzes the different system of government and other factors which can be used as a solution to the Anglophone crisis. The solution includes: 1) Federalism, 2) Unitary system, 3) Secession, 4) Dialogue, 5) United Nations and African Union, as actors and strategies that can be implemented in Cameroon.

Informality, Regulation and Predation : Governing Déby’s Chad

Au Tchad, les recettes générées par les pratiques fiscales informelles sont au cœur des finances publiques. Elles constituent une rente allouée aux alliés et à la clientèle politique des dirigeants au pouvoir. Ce phénomène s’est accéléré au milieu des années 2010 à la faveur de la baisse des cours internationaux du pétrole, mais aussi de la crise suscitée par l’essor de Boko Haram. À partir d’une enquête micro-économique de terrain, l’article interroge la manière dont ces évolutions de grande envergure ont amené le régime tchadien à réviser ses pratiques fiscales et à réorganiser ses réseaux d’échanges, tout en renforçant sa place centrale dans l’économie nationale. Au-delà du cas du Tchad, il s’agit aussi d’ouvrir des perspectives sur les dynamiques internes des États africains postcoloniaux.

The Role of Traditional Leaders in Mitigating Violence and Enhancing Peace and Harmony in Nigeria

Violence is a global phenomenon which exists the world over. The form and manner it exists vary from one country to the other. Nigeria has been facing serious challenges of violent acts since her independence till date. These violent acts range from ethno-religious crises, communal conflicts, Boko Haram crisis, Niger-Delta Militancy, farmer/herder clashes among others which threaten peace and harmony in the country. This study examines the role traditional leaders play in mitigating the excesses of violence and enhancing the peace and harmony in Nigeria. The study predominantly relied on secondary data that include journal articles, books, newspapers, etc. In the case of analysis of data, content analysis was employed. The findings reveal that traditional leaders play an important role in reducing the violent acts and enhancing peace and harmony by a way of intervening in resolving conflicts such as farmer/herder clashes, Niger-Delta crisis and so on. Finally, the study suggests that government should empower more the traditional leaders by involving them in the resolution of conflicts and peace talks.

Covering the Boko Haram crisis beyond the nation: Analysis of shifting time and space frames in news reporting

Through framing analysis, this article considers how two prominent Nigerian daily newspapers and two prominent United States daily newspapers have reported on the activities of Boko Haram during the period February 2014 to May 2015. The article finds that all four of these newspapers shifted how they framed the Boko Haram activities over the 16-month period, although with some differences. At first, the coverage focused on how the Boko Haram acts affected individuals directly caught up in singular attacks indicating an episodic coverage. This focus on individuals and the present events bolster great emotional support. Further reporting over the 16-month period suggested a shift to the society and then international level which was more contextual (thematic) indicating the wider social impact of terrorism. This therefore shows that the shift in framing of the crisis can be understood in three ways: from the episodic to the thematic, from the individual (through the societal) to the international level, and from the present (immediate) to the future implications of terrorism. The significance of identifying these shifts is to draw attention to framing as a lens to understand terrorism news expansion salience.

‘The only good jihadist is a dead jihadist’:Boko Haram and de-radicalization around Lake Chad

ABSTRACT This article discusses the shortcomings of the “de-radicalization doctrine” in sub-Saharan Africa. The issues raised are illustrated by the war against Boko Haram, which involves Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Relying on interviews with security officers, insurgents, civil servants, displaced people, humanitarian workers and Muslim and Christian clerics in Nigeria, Niger and Chad since 2005, the investigation shows that the four states focused on repression rather than demobilisation programs in prison or outdoors. The Boko Haram crisis is mainly a story of mismanagement. The article thus challenges the assumptions of the “de-radicalization doctrine” in Muslim Africa South of the Sahara. First, attempts to de-radicalize jihadi terrorists tend to focus too much on religious fanaticism and the exegesis of the Quran. Secondly, they are neither feasible nor efficient. Finally, they obscure priorities that are more important to counter extremism and demobilize insurgents.

Functional Disability and Depression among Internally Displaced Persons in North-East Nigeria

A common factor in the development of mental disorders, including depression, is exposure to trauma. Boko Haram crisis has ravaged the North East part of Nigeria and has left indelible traumatic effect on the inhabitants especially the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who fled their homes for survival. Previous studies reported high rates of depression and disability among IDPs. We set out to investigate the prevalence of depression, disability and correlates among the IDPs in two selected camps in Yobe state. We carried out a cross sectional study among 422 adult IDPs selected through a systematic sampling method. One hundred and ninety two (45.5%) were males. The mean age of the subjects was 39.4±18.50 years with range of 18-80 years. Of the 422 IDPs, 166(39.3%) had probable depression and 76(18.0%) had definite depression. Factors significantly associated with diagnosis of depression were; age (p=0.028), marital status (p=0.001), living condition (p=0.001), general health (p=0.001) and WHODAS 2.0 scores (p=0.001). Logistic regression revealed that age &lt;20years (OR=8.4;p=0.001), being an IDP in the camp irrespective of the living condition (OR=3.6;p=0.001), being single/unmarried (OR=10.0;p=0.048) and comorbid PTSD predicted diagnosis of depression. Having a disability score in the severe range (OR=5.7;p=0.001) strongly correlated with having depression in the study. There is a high rate of depression among IDPs in North-east, Nigeria. Having a diagnosis of depression correlated well with the severity of disability in study. We recommend regular psychiatric services as part of routine medical services to IDPs as health cannot be complete without mental health.

Is the Public Willing to Help the Nigerian Police During the Boko Haram Crisis? A Look at Moderating Factors

This paper sought the opinion of 200 Nigerians on their willingness to cooperate with the police during the Boko Haram crisis. Public perceptions of police effectiveness during the crisis, residence location, gender and religious affiliation were used as moderators. Data was analysed using an explanatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Results indicated a strong association between perceived effectiveness and willingness to report to the police with respondents who question the effectiveness of the police being less likely to be willing to report criminal activity about Boko Haram. Further to this, the impact of religion on willingness to report was at least partially mediated by perceived effectiveness of the police with the results showing that Christian respondents perceived the police as less effective. Females and those living in the north were significantly less willing to report criminal activity to the police. The findings are discussed in relation to the BH crises and directions for future research are given.

Killing People, Dividing a Nation? Analyzing Student Perceptions of the Boko Haram Crisis in Nigeria

ABSTRACTThe causes and consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency as well as its possible solutions have been subjected to different interpretations among scholars, politicians, and journalists. Little is known, however, about how the Nigerian populace thinks about the uprising. The present study contributes to the literature on Boko Haram by analyzing the perceptions of Nigerian students vis-à-vis Boko Haram's agenda and the government's response. The results demonstrate a north–south divide with Christians or Igbo and Muslims or Hausa-Fulani holding different ideas on the causes of the crisis, being differently affected by it, and slightly disagreeing on the desirability of military government responses. In conclusion, perceptions on Boko Haram lay bare ethno-religious fault lines reflecting existing grievances, thereby possibly undermining efforts at nation-building and peaceful coexistence in the multi-ethnic Nigerian society.

State Failure And Terrorism: Thoughts on Nigeria’s Festering BOKO Haram Crisis

Nigeria has been enmeshed ultimately in the aspiration towards wrenching itself from economic debacle with which it is now more identified than its prospects. Energy is being dissipated to develop institutions and structures with the capacity to ensure economic growth, equitable distribution of national wealth, political stability and accountability. The attainment of those aspirations requires reduction of threats, actual and potential, that are capable of generating insecurity. The Boko Haram crisis thus set the country on retrogressive rather than progressive match toward achieving improved standard of living. To combat the Boko Haram menace, in view of theoretical leaning that blames uprising against government on internal configuration of the society, thereby emphasising the physical aspect of such uprising, the Nigerian Government is bent on crushing out the group through superior military might as it did during the 1967-1970 civil war. This paper argues that, no doubt, Nigeria’s socio-economic configuration is capable of engendering terrorism, Boko Haram is not a formation as vanguard of the people. It examines the activities of the Boko Haram group vis-a-vis the social conflict theory and the theory of fundamentalism and reached the conclusion that war against Boko Haram is more a war of the mind than a physical war and to be sure of total victory over the group, government must engage in that war from fundamentalist perspective.

Thermodynamics: Application of its Principles to the Effects of Cross-Border Migration and Boko Haram Crisis on Security Challenges in Africa

Using the principles of thermodynamics for analogical purposes, this article seeks to answer the following question: What can the principles of thermodynamics reveal about the effects of cross-border migration and Boko Haram crisis on security challenges in Africa? The increase in the intensity of terrorist attacks by Boko Haram and the responses of government security forces to curb the situation in Nigeria has resulted in internal displacement of people and the movement of affected people in Northern Nigeria to neighboring African countries such as Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. Consequently, this article uses the principles of thermodynamics in the physical sciences to explain the likely security-related consequences of cross-border migration as a result of Boko Haram activities in Northern Nigeria. Some thermodynamics concepts used in this article include heat transfer, thermal equilibrium, exothermic reaction, and entropy. The major argument of the article is that the persistence of cross-border migration as a result of Boko Haram activities portends dangerous security challenges for African countries especially Nigeria's border countries in the future. It is, therefore, pertinent that effective strategies be identified locally and internationally to curb the activities of the Boko Haram group.