Seventeen Years of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria: Will Border Security Barrier Work in Nigeria as a Counterinsurgency Strategy to Contain and Degrade Boko Haram Insurgency

Since 2002, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, West Africa has been beleaguered by the menace of Boko Haram Insurgency, which has been a constant threat to the security and stability of Nigeria, specifically in the northeast. Nigeria's unsecured borders facilitate freedom of movement for Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region. Lake Chad Basin region's vast rural areas allow Boko Haram to operate with impunity resulting in growing instability of the region. Nigeria and the three other Lake Chad Basin region efforts have seen varying level of success, but the problem persists after 17 years. Some countries, such as Israel, have built Physical Barriers including security fences and walls for deterrence and denial. This has inspired a research on adapting this same approach by the Nigerian policy makers stakeholders in the establishment of physical security system as part of Nigeria's more encompassing Counterinsurgency strategy.