Counterterrorism Strategies and National Security Challenges in Nigeria: An Appraisal of the Fight Against Insurgency and Terrorism

Nigeria has been battling insurgency and terrorism for more than a decade and the major culprits seem to be Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The paper evaluates the anti-terrorism measures adopted by the Nigerian state and the continued national security problems affecting the success of the measures taken. The study uses a qualitative research approach and secondary analysis, which involves thematic analysis of policy documents, academic journals, and security agencies' reports from 2020 to 2025. The theoretical approach is based on the complex emergency theory to understand the multidimensionality of the conflict. The findings show that although military operations like Operation Lafiya Dole and Operation Hadin Kai have had some successes in the degradation of terrorist strongholds and rescue of hostages, strategic difficulties including lack of information gathering, corruption in security institutions, lack of equipment, and the issue of radicalization in IDP camps remain to be a deterrent to sustainable peace. The findings also show a gap between the use of kinetic counterterrorism measures and non-kinetic measures like radicalization programmes. The study reveals that the national security in Nigeria is fragile because its policies are yet to be implemented effectively and that there is lack of community-based intelligence framework. Proposals include the creation of decentralised intelligence networks, greater funding for social reorientation programmes and reform of legislation to combat corruption in the defence procurement process. This assessment adds to the current policy debate on sustainable counterterrorism in conflict zones.