TERRORISM AND BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC: A PROGNOSIS

Moses M. Adagbabiri & Ugo C. Okolie

Department of Political Science, Delta State  University Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.

Chartered Institute of personnel management of Nigeria, Edo State Branch Study centre, Benin City, Nigeria.

E-mail: adagbabiri@delsu.ng, Ugookolie2@gmail.com

Abstract

Since the emergence of the nascent democracy in 1999, the contemporary Nigeria Society has been engulfed by terrible acts of terrorism. The Country which had hitherto been one of the most relatively peaceful in Africa has been deeply enmeshed and suffused in political and ethno-religious conflicts characterized by genocidal attacks, bombing, maiming and killings of several persons, loss of business investments, and properties worth several billions of naira. These acts of terrorism have seriously caused untold hardship to the Nigerian populace. Terrorism has been a global menace which affects economic, political and social status of the country experiencing it. Since the inception of the president Goodluck Jonathan Political regime, Boko Haram has been disrupting and destabilizing government activities mainly in Northern Nigeria. The political implication of terrorism has been deadly in Nigerian democratic governance. The challenges of terrorism and insecurity have been traumatizing president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in Nigeria while many political gladiators hide under the Siege of Boko Haram insurgency in terrorizing existing political regime in Nigeria which makes it difficult to actualize governmental policies and programmes in Nigeria. It would seem that democracy has increased the culture of impunity in some people while political differences are believed to have fueled some of the violence that have erupted. The discourse of the argument put forward in this paper is that contemporary terrorism in Nigeria is a product of prolonged failure of the Nigerian state to show characteristics or fulfill the purposes accepted as normal or beneficial to the totality of her citizens. The thrust decimal of flawed political and ethno-religious conflicts with a view to pinpointing its nature, causes and proffering solutions for Nigeria’s democracy to thrive.