HUMAN SECURITY ISSUES IN NIGERIA’S MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST BOKO HARAM, 2009 - 2015

Abstract

In 2009, the operational tactics of Boko Haram Insurgency (BHI) transformed from soft target attacks into coordinated violent assaults on police and military bases, including converting seized Nigerian territories into caliphates. In response to the BHI new strategy, Nigeria’s military changed its tactics. However, the subsequent military operations were marred with criticisms that border on high casualties of military personnel and civilians and further mass displacements of the people. Extant studies on insurgencies in Nigeria have focused on the origin, evolution, target of attacks and patterns of human rights violations. However, the direct and indirect consequences of military actions on human security are mostly unexplored. This study was therefore designed to examine the tactics, impacts, human security issues and challenges encountered by the military in tackling BHI in Nigeria’s northeast.

Frank Hoffman’s Critical Hybrid Warfare Theory provided the framework, while descriptive design was utilised. Key informant interviews were held with 20 purposively selected officials from the Office of National Security Adviser (one), Department of State Security (two), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (one), Civilian Joint Task force (one), Boko Haram members in military custody (four), community leaders (four), displaced persons (five) and humanitarian workers (two). Thirty-three in-depth interviews were also conducted with Nigerian Army officers (14), selected officials from National Human Rights Commission (two), Lake Chad Basin Commission (one), National Emergency Management Agency (one), security analysts (four), civil society organisations (five) and academia (six). Five focus group discussions were conducted with internally displaced persons (one), community leaders (one), commissioned officers (one) and other ranks (one). Secondary data were obtained from the Army’s Rules of Engagement, Operational Mandates and field reports of relevant organisations. The data were content analysed.

The military operational tactics were rigid, aggressive and enemy-centric. In rural areas, military used aerial control tactics to expose the insurgents and deprived them of support and resources, while in urban areas, psychological warfare, cordon and search tactics were adopted. In both rural and urban areas, large-scale sweeping operations to capture or neutralise the insurgents were deployed resulting in collateral damages. Razing of houses, high civilian casualties, increased sympathy for BHI, which gave them more freedom of actionwere identified as some of the impacts of the military tactics. Sexual harassments and frequent road closure, which hindered free movement of people and goods were the human security issues identified by civilians. However, for the military respondents, human security issues were curfew enforcement, protection of humanitarian workers and guarding of critical infrastructure. Lack of clarity in the rules of engagement, terrain difficulties, dearth of operational equipment, poor combat support, commercialisation of intelligence, mismanagement of resources, and corruption within the political and military leadership were the identified challenges.

The change in operational focus of Boko Haram in 2009 shocked the military in Nigeria, while the subsequentenemy centric approach that the military adopted undermined the tenets of human security. Future military tactics during insurgency should be comprehensive, hybrid and conformable to the ever-dynamic operational environment.