Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: The Role of the State Government in the Insulation of Jigawa State against Boko-Haram Insurgency (2009-2015)

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: The Role of the State Government in the Insulation of Jigawa State against Boko-Haram Insurgency (2009-2015)

Abstract:

Since 2009, the Boko-Haram insurgency became deadly and extremely violent particularly in the three north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Other states which were also significantly affected by the Boko-Haram insurgency include: Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory. Jigawa state which shares borders with Kano, Bauchi and Yobe states was however relatively insulated from the Boko Haram insurgency. This study therefore examined how and why Jigawa state was insulated from the Boko-Haram insurgency. The major objective of the study was to investigate what socio-economic and political factors accounted for the insulation of Jigawa state against the Boko-Haram insurgency. The study was conducted within the framework of the conflict management theory which argues that conflict is not a static situation but a dynamic one in which the level of intensity changes over a conflicts‟ life cycle. The territorial imperative theory was also adopted in the explanation of the social factors that resulted in the insulation of Jigawa state against the Boko-Haram insurgency. As a qualitative Study, the data for this study was sourced essentially through primary sources of data. The primary data was derived from interviews with the political elite in Jigawa state. These political elite comprised of the government agents directly involved in protecting Jigawa state from the Boko-Haram insurgency as well as members of the opposition political parties from 2007-2015. Other respondents of the study include the religious and traditional leaders as well as representatives of the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security. Focus group discussion was also held in four local governments in the state. Secondary data on the other hand was derived from libraries and the internet. Findings indicate that unlike in the communities in the neighboring states which were devastated by the Boko-Haram insurgency, there was a high degree of social capital amongst the elites and the people of Jigawa state which significantly contributed in the insulation of the state against the Boko-Haram insurgency. Other findings of the study also indicates that three major programs namely: the socio-economic development of the state, the reinvigoration of the state security council and the establishment of temporary IDP camps, also contributed in the insulation of Jigawa state against the Boko-Haram insurgency. Finally the study recommends that efforts should be made towards boosting social capital by fostering peaceful coexistence and cooperation amongst Nigerians through the avoidance of ethno-religious profiling and discrimination. The study also recommends that efforts should be made towards improving the socio-economic development of the country in general through the implementation of programs and policies that impact positively on the lives of the citizens. This is important considering the fact that an improvement in the living standard of the people is established as a disincentive for the recruitment drive of insurgents.

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: The Role of the State Government in the Insulation of Jigawa State against Boko-Haram Insurgency (2009-2015)