Boko Haram Insurgency: A Northern Agenda for Regime Change and Islamization in Nigeria, 2007 a 2013

Abstract

Nigeria witnessed the emergence of Boko Haram - an Islamic sect - in 2002 and its active insurgency since 2009 This paper studies the Boko Haram and its operations with a view to determine its relationship with Northern struggle for political hegemony With the aid of secondary method of data collection and Islamic fundamentalist theory as framework of analysis the paper observed that the primary goals of the sect are the overthrow of none Muslim and moderate Muslim government and the Islamization of Nigeria It observed also that the sect receives financial administrative and security support from many top Northern Islamic politicians serving political office holders and Northern members of the armed forces Finally government anti-terrorism campaign has drastically reduced the spread success and regularity of Boko Haram insurgency The paper therefore recommends punitive anti-terrorism laws and the adoption of state of emergency as a regular approach to fighting terrorism among others in Nigeria