BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY IN NIGERIA: A PUBLIC PERCEPTION APPROACH

Abstract

This paper investigates the factors responsible for Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The paper attempts to unravel why insurgency became pervasive in the northeastern region of the country and solutions were proffered on how to stop it. The theoretical thrust of this paper was anchored on Merton‟s theory of Anomie. In this paper, the researcher adopted the mixed method which involved the quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Respondents for the quantitative method were selected using the snowball sampling technique. The questionnaire and key informant interviews were the instruments used for data collection. Several findings were made in the paper. It was discovered, among others, that religious, political, ethnic and economic factors coupled with corruption and influences from established terrorist organizations were the major factors responsible for the emergence of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The paper also found that insurgency can be eradicated through the use of military actions, re-orientating the insurgents and job creation. Based on the findings made in this paper, the researcher recommended robust intelligence gathering and multi-agency collaboration, among others, in the fight against the insurgency in Nigeria.