THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AND NIGERIAN-NIGER RELATIONS: AN ASSESSMENT OF BORDER SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Abstract

The study interrogates the impact of the Boko Haram Insurgency on the content of Nigerian-Niger Relations with the sole objective to examine the impact of the Boko Haram insurgency on Nigeria-Niger border security relations. This is geared towards examining the extent to which the Boko Haram insurgency impacted on Nigeria-Niger border security partnership. The population of the study was 10,395 and a sample of 400, was used for the study via Taro Yamane's (1967) formula. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistical analysis in the form of frequency distribution and simple percentages. The research adopted the System as its framework of analysis. The findings revealed that the inability to establish a solid institutional framework to regulate their relations has resulted in a security dilemma and consequential spillover effect on border security. Again, the Boko Haram insurgency has heightened Nigeria and Niger's security partnership via joint border patrols. The study also revealed that Nigeria and Niger signed a defence pact in Niger's capital, Niamey, establishing joint border patrols along their 930-mile border. Thus, Boko Haram activities compelled the government of Niger to actively participate in containing the activities of the Boko Haram insurgency. The study, therefore, recommends among others that Nigeria and the Niger Republic should adopt a perpetual joint military operation strategy as a formal modality not only as a means to restrain the Boko Haram threat thus, creating a pre-emptive mechanism to checkmate irregularities and sanity of the borders.