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The Politics and Practice of Counter-Terrorism in Twenty-First Century Nigeria: Policy, Implementation, and Implications

Oluwole Bayonle OGUNDELE

Abstract

Nigeria has put policies in place to address its economic, political, ethnic, and religious difficulties, just like other nations that face sociopolitical, economic, and security issues. The prevalence of political violence in Nigeria has been significantly impacted by the state's ethnic and religious diversity. The state's response to the ensuing violence and conflict has also become more complex as a result of its homogeneity. The Nigerian state is examined in this paper, with particular attention paid to the different counterterrorism tactics used by the government and the effects these tactics have on the state, society, and economy. The National Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Acts of the National Assembly, or NACTEST, serve as the foundation for the numerous counterterrorism plans. This paper examines how well the government has implemented NACTEST, highlights its successes, and highlights the shortcomings of legal and other policy frameworks in preventing Boko Haram's terrorism and maintaining security and peace in crisis areas. This paper reveals how decisions regarding Boko Haram are influenced by political, ethnic, religious, and primordial factors, as well as the distorted fiscal connections under the flawed federalism.

Keywords

Nigerian StateTerrorismCounter-TerrorismFederalismBoko HaramActs

References

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