Terrorism and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria: The Case of Boko Haram in the Northeast Region

The paper investigated terrorism and socio-economic development in Nigeria with an emphasis on Boko Haram (2009-2023). Boko Haram posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s socio-economic development. Millions of people have lost their lives as a result of attacks by the deadly group. Also, millions of people have been displaced from their homes which has led to the loss of economic livelihood which is agriculture. A variant of realism propounded by Hans J. Morgenthau was adopted as a theoretical framework. One of the assumptions of the theory stipulated that power has a military and non-military component which includes not just military force but also the levels of technology, population, national resources, geographical factors, forms of government, political leadership, and ideology. The secondary source of data was deployed for the study; it involves the collection of data from textbooks, magazines, and conference papers amongst others. The study found that there is a huge capital flight from Nigeria's economy especially in the northeast region of Nigeria (Foreign Direct Investment) due to incessant attacks emanating from the activities of Boko Haram. Most business outfits that are supposed to contribute to the growth of the region's (northeast) economy have either moved out of the country or relocated to another safe region where their activities will not be truncated. The study recommends that Nigerian security agencies coordinating the war against Boko Haram should live- up to their responsibilities particularly in the area of intelligence gathering to enable them to bring to an end the activities of the deadly Islamist sect in the northeast. When there is no synergy among the various security agencies, it can compromise the war against terrorism in Nigeria.