BOKO-HARAM TERRORISM AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA’S NORTH-EAST REGION: RE-INVENTING POLICY STRATEGIES FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATIONS

This paper examines how the characterisation of Nigeria as a failed state, has impacted in making the country breeding ground of terrorism. Specifically the paper highlights the conditions necessitating the emeigence and persistence of Boko- Haram terrorist sect. The paper relies on secondary data sourced from books, journals articles and reports of periodicals and employed descriptive analysis to establish the trend. Findings show thatfeatures of a failed state as articulated in the paper are present in Nigeria. The paper concludes that thesefactors create the conditionfor terrorism to thrieve in Nigeria and consequently threaten the socio-economic stability for terrorism to thrive in Nigeria and consequently threaten the socio-economic stability ofthe country and to an extent the globe. This paper recommends that to deal with these challenges, tlye Nigerian state need to re-examine its character so as to address the issues that give rise to acts of terrorism as well as restrategise on how to provide the needs of the vast majority of the citizens. Consequently, the study recommends that government should intensify its counter terrorism fight against the insurgents, upgrade the equipment of the military and other security agencies to effectively and decisively defeat the insurgency, embark on an aggressive enlightenment and reorientation campaign to mobilise the citizenry in support of the armedforces campaign against the terrorists, collaborate with the international community in the fight against Boko-Haram, programmatically create new employment opportunities forjobless youths, impose stiffen penalties on terrorists, and concertedly work towards the eradication of poverty and corruption in Nigeria.