Counter-Terrorism Legislation (COTL) and Counter Insurgency (COIN) Operations in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Experience

For more than a decade, terrorism has remained an unprecedented threat to Nigeria’s national security interest, and the peaceful existence of the Nigerian State. This paper examines the impact of counter-terrorism legislation in the continual existence of the menace of insecurity despite measures adopted by the government to counter-terrorism. Nigeria has witnessed various conflicts with features of terrorism although an attempt to label such acts as terrorism had met with stiff opposition. Although the absolute definitions of acts of terrorism remained undefined under Nigerian law for a long time, the absence of a specific anti-terrorism law to prosecute terrorism-related cases had been a clog in the prosecution of terrorism-related cases. Irrespective of the enactment of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011, this obstacle still lingers. This points to the preparedness of the Nigerian government to contain terrorism before its escalation. As a result of these undefined acts of terrorism, approaches to counter-terrorism are met with mixed methods and approaches which seem reactive rather than preventive and ending the incidence of terrorism. This study, therefore, evaluates the loopholes in the counter-terrorism legislation as it is reflected in counter-terrorism operations taking Boko haram as a case study. The study adopts pre-test and post-test analytical framework to evaluate the inadequacies in enacting and implementations of the counter terrorism act to cub terrorism. Data were collected through documentary method and adequate study of the anti-terrorism act 2011 and 2013 as amended, official documents from NACTEST, Journals and newspaper dailies. Qualitative descriptive method of data analysis was used to analyze these data. Amongst others, we recommend a multi-sector approach especially, religious, legal and political means towards ending terrorism in Nigeria is recommended.