THE RISE AND EVOLUTION OF BOKO HARAM TERRORISM: AN EXAMINATION OF THE REASONS FOR THE EMERGENCE AND STRUCTURE OF THE DREADED ORGANIZATION

Among the many challenges of nation building that are threatening the basic fabric of Nigeria is the Boko Haram terrorism.  Domestic terrorism as manifested in the destructive activities of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has for more than a decade been a major concern to the Nigerian government and the international community.  Even though, the insurgency of Boko Haram originated in the North-east part of the country, it has since spread like a cosmic hurricane wind not only in the North-East and many other parts of northern Nigeria, but across neighbouring countries of West and central Africa.  The terrorist organization strikes with such ferocity and audacity that both national and international attention is drawn to a puzzling question such as: who are the Boko Haram?  This study attempts to examine the evolution of Boko Haram terrorism and the reason for its emergence and the structural configuration of the dreaded organization.  In this study, the culture of poverty theory is adopted to examine the problem while data are generated from secondary sources with content analysis as methodological guide.  The study argues that although, there are many factors that are linked to Boko Haram insurgency, however, the issue of poverty is at the centre of these factors.