Combating terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria: An International Collaborations against Boko Haram

Security of lives and properties has been considered as fundamental responsibility of government. The attack on Nigerian populace by the Islamist group called 'Boko Haram' has threatened the security of the country. Also, the killing of innocent citizens and foreign investors by 'Boko Haram' sect has called for International collaborations against violent crimes, terrorism and insurgency. The paper argues that poverty, unemployment, weak institutional structure, corruption, proliferation of weapons of war and religious factor are the major causes of terrorism and insurgency. The paper examines the attempts made by Nigerian government as well as international actors towards curbing the menace of terrorism and insurgency. Such domestic measures include the deployment of troops to the affected areas, joint task force by the neighbouring countries, declaration of state of emergency and encouragement of public and media to provide intelligence support. The international actors use economic sanctions to punish the state sponsors of terrorism, the deployment of security assets abroad, the monitoring of the expanding scope and diversity of facilitation networks. It therefore recommends the cutting off of the sources of contact of Boko Haram, an empowerment programme that reduces unemployment, conflict resolution among parties and strict enforcement of law against terrorism