STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY MULTINATIONAL JOINT TASK FORCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM TERRORISM IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Boko Haram exposed Nigeria’s security flop and eluded the fact that the insurgence is a real threat to national security. Nigeria has traditionally been an important regional actor in securing peace and stability in West Africa, but its army had obvious difficulties in coping efficiently with the threats posed by Boko Haram leading to the formation of the Multinational Joint Task Force to help in the fight against the terror group. The core and popular ideology of the sect is that “Western education is forbidden”; hence they are commonly referred to in Hausa Language as Boko Haram. “Boko” in Hausa means western education and “Haram” in Arabic means forbidden. The aim of this study is to examine the strategies adopted by Multinational Joint Task Force in the fight against the activities of Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. The study is anchored on Regional Security Complex Theory to clearly understand the interplay of national interests, rationality of states and the role of government in the fight against Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Findings showed that aerial surveillance as well as intelligence sharing are among the strategies adopted by MNJTF in the fight against Boko Harm terrorism in Nigeria; inadequate strategies adopted by the Multinational Joint Task Force hampered the fight against Boko Harm terrorism in Nigeria; it was recommended that Multinational Joint Task Force should urgently reinvigorate its strategies to cover addressing the root causes of Boko Haram terrorism. This would involve the governments of states that contributed troops to the MNJTF to ensure that issues of poverty, unemployment, religious fanaticism, and marginalization are adequately tackled in the country. Those found guilty of terrorism should be charged to special court for terrorism and punishment should be urgently meted out to them.