Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

5-2022

School/College

Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs (SOPA)

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Administration of Justice

Committee Chairperson

Ihekwoaba D Onwudiwe

Committee Member 1

Emmanuel Nwagwu

Committee Member 2

Robert Mupier

Committee Member 3

David Baker

Keywords

Boko Haram, coalition, ISIS, Islam, security, Terrorism

Abstract

The literature on terrorism indicates that religion, cultures of origin, and environmental factors play globally critical roles in the emergence of terrorist groups worldwide. Terrorists use violence and threats to strike fear and intimidate people and governments into pursuing their religious, political, and ideological goals. One of the deadliest jihadist groups, Boko Haram, emerged in the early 2000s with a jihadist agenda mainly focused on Nigeria’s Islamization. In 2009, it launched violent attacks in Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest economy, and currently controls a large swathe of territory in its northeastern part. In its desire to create a caliphate, Boko Haram swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Empirical evidence suggests that the Nigerian government has not been able to ward off its aggression successfully. There are, however, gaps in the literature regarding the nature and complexity of the Boko Haram-ISIS alliance in Nigeria. The collateral consequences of such a coalition with its attendant global security threats are understudied, and this dissertation intends to fill that gap by expounding on the literature’s strengths and limitations, using the Global Terrorism Database and qualitative secondary data analysis from 2000–2020. The research will examine the anomic situation in Nigeria and the instability resulting from the breakdown of social norms. This will be done through the application of anomie and strain theories. Finally, the data findings will guide proactive suggestions for criminological policies and future research recommendations for the Nigerian securitization solution. Keywords: Terrorism, Boko Haram, ISIS, Islam, security, coalition, the Nigerian military.

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