Terrorism And Nigeria’s Economy, An Assessment Of The Boko Haram Insurgency

Terrorism And Nigeria’s Economy, An Assessment Of The Boko Haram Insurgency

First Chapter:

Introduction

1.1 The study’s context

According to Lodge (Lodge 1988:5), using violence indiscriminately to try to bring about political change is considered terrorism. Terrorism, according to Madunagu (2001:51), is “the use of violence to achieve political objectives.” According to the definitions given above, terrorism is a type of political violence. Terrorism has gained international attention ever since the various assaults on the World Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. According to Dr. Anslem Dilichukwu Omenma’s presentation at the political science seminar day at Caritas University, ECOMOG, a militia group that enjoyed the support of prominent politicians in other parts of northern Nigeria, started to patronize Boko Haram through budgetary allocations. Nigeria’s economy has been severely impacted by the Boko Haram organisation, particularly in the north.

According to Dr. D.A. Omenma (H.O.D), during the run-up to the 2003 general elections, the militia group ECOMOG, which was supported by well-known politicians in the northeastern states of Borno and Yobe, was the precursor to the Boko Haram Insurgents. Later, other leaders in other Northern Nigerian regions started to support the group, giving them enormous sums of money, access to training areas on the numerous mountains dotted around the region, and security from federal government arrests. (2012) (Omenma: 15).

In one of his admissions from 2012, the sect’s spokesperson Abu Qeda said that the Boko Haram sect was formerly a fundamentalist organization with the official name Ahlus Sunna Lid Dawatis Jihad but is now more commonly known as Boko Haram. Nigeria’s security has been in jeopardy since this group’s activities began, and the economy has also been impacted.

Therefore, the project is an attempt at a critical analysis to demonstrate how Boko Haram has influenced the economy, either favorably or unfavorably. It has been noted that Boko Haram is considered a terrorist organization that has impacted Nigeria’s economy, particularly in the north. Efforts will be made to determine how this sect has actually impacted Nigeria’s economy and may recommend long-term solutions to the threat, in order to bring about the peace and stability that the nation has long yearned for and put an end to terrorism in Nigeria.

A quick glance around the globe will show that many nations operating under this regime have likewise experienced and continue to experience terrorist attacks. For instance, Osama Bin Laden continued to inflict harm on the United States of America, which had existed for approximately 200 years since the 18th century, until his death in 2011. Terrorist attacks on Israel, Pakistan, and even some other African nations have made peace and stability all but a mirage. As an illustration, the United States of America attacked Libya in 1986.

The northern governors who had relationships with the cult started to withdraw their patronage following the 2011 general elections, and eventually left them to their fate. As a result, Boko Haram in Nigeria grew into a national threat. (2011) 13 (The Nation). The majority of academics and experts hold the belief that terrorism is a form of political expression rather than a crime. As a result, they concur that the status quo, represented by the ruling regime and the political and economic systems, is the common enemy of terrorist organizations all over the world. Therefore, in their opinion, the main goal of terrorists is to upset the status quo or topple the government in place in order to impose their own ideals on the rest of society.

The terrorists always utilize indiscriminate violence on a tactical and strategic basis to instill fear and intimidation and convince the public of the legitimacy of their cause, despite the fact that they typically lack willing public support and suffer harsh government suppression (Lodge, 1988:3). Violence or, more crucially, the prospect of violence is a component of every terrorist attack. For almost two years, Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group, has terrorized Nigeria’s populace and stunted economic growth in the north of the country. An interactive television program called “focus Nigeria” from 2012 claims that the insurgency has caused the country’s economy, particularly in the north, to collapse. For instance, the market in Kano is no longer frequented by traders who used to visit from all over Nigeria and nearby countries to purchase textiles, and it is not as bustling as it once was. The investigation will look into how this threat has seriously damaged our economy.

1.2 Problem Statement

The fundamentalist group (Boko Haram) has perpetrated significant levels of terrorism and violence in Nigeria, which has increased public and worldwide concern and severely harmed our economy. In fact, the enmity has beyond religious and political lines. Numerous summits, conferences, seminars, and other events have been organized in an effort to stop the problem in the nation, but to no result. In addition to the meetings that have been held, the federal government has spent millions of naira trying to restore security to the nation, but it never seems to have worked. All security agencies have been instructed by the president to be on high alert, to prepare their arsenals, and to increase their efforts to promote the nation’s effective security. Additionally, the president urges all Nigerians to take security seriously because it is everyone’s concern in one of his lectures. Will it ever stop, though, is the question. Can we claim that the Boko Haram threat can be understood in light of the claim that Islam, which gives hope to the poor Muslims, is under attack from Christianity and that Muslim youth, who derive hope for a better future from the teachings of Islam, are fighting to defend the survival of the hope of the hopeless Muslims, or do we view the insurgency through the lens of nationalism? In light of this, the following research question will serve as the guidance for this study.

Are ideology and financial support the key driving forces behind the Boko Haram Sect in Nigeria?

Does the Boko Haram issue threaten the nation’s economy?

Is using the military a viable option for eradicating the threat?