Boko Haram's Terrorism and the Nigerian State - Federalism, Politics and Policies

This book assesses the effectiveness of Nigeria's counterterrorist policies against Boko Haram. It takes a critical review of the interventionist strategies adopted by the Nigerian government, highlights the motivations behind the choice of strategies, and proffers a deeper understanding of the factors responsible for the state's inability, thus far, to rid the country of terrorism. Specifically, it evaluates the NACTEST policy framework that guides the Nigerian state's counterterrorist strategies, which contains both hard and soft power approaches. Adopting historical and case study approaches which put the Nigerian state and occurrences of violent conflict in context, it takes cognizance of the politics of ethno-religious diversity which reinforce violent conflicts among groups and against the state, and reviews the socio-economic and political realities that led to the emergence and sustenance of Boko Haram. The volume concludes by suggesting practical policy options for combating Boko Haram and other similar armed insurrection. This book is appropriate for researchers and students interested in African politics, conflict, security, peace studies, terrorism, and counterterrorism, as well as policy makers and government departments dealing with terrorism and counterterrorism.



Akinola obtained a Doctoral Degree in Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience in the following Universities: Obafemi Awolowo University, University of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of Zululand. Upon completion of a 2-year Postdoctoral fellowship in Public Governance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, he is presently a Research Fellow in the Department of Public Administration, University of Zululand, South Africa. He has widely published, and recipients of the 2013 UPEACE/IDRC Doctoral Award, Africa Programme for Rethinking Development Economics (APORDE) 2015 and South African National Research Foundation, KIC Individual Travel Grants in 2016. He specializes in Globalization, African Political Economy, Governance, Qualitative Research Methodology, Peace and Conflict Studies. Sultan Khan is an Associate Professor in Sociology in the School of Sociology, University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research interest is in the field of social change, social issues, urban sociology, social policy, development and social dynamics. He is a National Research Foundation C2 rated researcher and has been the top thirty researcher in 2014. He has participated in various local, national and international research projects with the most recent being on Safe and Inclusive Cities - Reducing Urban Violence, Poverty and Inequalities in collaboration with Brazil and India. He holds professional membership with the South African Sociological Association, International Sociological Association and the Health Services Professions Council of South Africa. Currently he serves as Regional Editor of the Journal South African Review of Sociology.  For the past ten years and to date he has been serving as the Chairperson of the Development Working Group with the South African Sociological Association.

Olumuyiwa Temitope Faluyi is a Doctoral candidate with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, his interests are located within the broader spectrum of counter-terrorism in Africa and politics of federalism, power sharing and national integration, public administration and policy. He has presented in local and international conferences. He is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.