Impact of Internal Security Threats on Nigeria's Regional Leadership and Foreign Policy: A Case Study of Boko Haram and Banditry Humanitarian Challenges

This paper discusses how domestic security threats-in particular, Boko Haram insurgency and banditry-have immensely impacted international relations and foreign policy for Nigeria.Indeed, internal instability in the most populous country in Africa has diligently constrained the diplomatic relations of Nigeria, reduced its leadership roles within the region, and complicated its engagement with global partners.The regional cooperation through military alliances, such as MNJTF, has followed the Boko Haram insurgency, which spilled over to neighbours.This has also created diplomatic tensions, particularly with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, due to cross-border violations and the refugee crisis.In addition, the fact that Nigeria had to depend on foreign aid and even military intervention to counter these threats itself posed a question of its sovereignty.The issues of corruption, human rights violations, and the protractions of conflicts have further damaged the country's international standing.Therefore, this paper examines how these security challenges affects the conduct of Nigeria's foreign policy and indicates good domestic governance as the direction in which Nigeria should proceed to reclaim its regional leadership for an improved standing within the global community.