NIGERIA’S SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS: GENERAL OWOYE ANDREW AZAZI’S MILITARY APPROACH IN COMBATING BOKO HARAM MILITIA, 2010 – 2012
Description
In Nigeria insecurity in the context of violence has reached generally, frightening levels since 2010 with the activities of the dreaded Islamist Jihadist terrorist group known as Boko Haram, rated the second deadliest terror organization in the world in 2012 for killing a total of 1,132 persons in 364 attacks, exceeding Afghanistan’s Taliban, which killed 1,842 persons in 525 attacks. Despite the Federal Government and policy maker’s strategic response and efforts to establish peace in Nigeria, state repression has to be on the increase rather than reduced violence in many parts of the country. Accordingly, this paper examines one of Nigeria’s 20th Chief of Army Staff since 1966, Late General Owoye Andrew Azazi, who was a professional Nigerian Military Intelligence, an expert in Military and Policy Strategic Studies, a multidisciplinary scholar and as well an expert in Terrorism Management. Azazi was concern about national unity, peace and security in Nigeria, extensive rehabilitation projects of Nigeria’s Military barracks, and Military Reforms, thus his concern for all of these prompted him to theorize on the extremist threat doctrine in his shaping of a national response to the Jihadist extremist group. Finally, the paper attempts to contribute towards resolving the insecurity challenges caused by Boko Haram through government-military strategy and making the people be self-reliant rather than being indebted to the "warped goodwill of others.