ABSTRACT
Despite the establishment of various joint security operations to strategically contain the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria, insurgent violence still dots most parts of the Northeast as a result of various factors one of which is the porosity of borders. This chapter examines how porous borders contributed to the spate of insurgency and the implications for counterinsurgency operations. With key informant interviews and secondary sources, it addresses these questions: who are the security managers/actors around the borders? Why has insurgency remained difficult to contain despite border security efforts? The study is anchored on two theories. First, the political theory of territory and second, the theory of ungoverned spaces, both of which explain how poor security governance motivates non-state actors to use part of a country’s territory to operate. The findings show that border porosity has greatly hampered the insurgent-containment efforts of the government. The chapter recommends: that trans-border security collaboration arrangements should be prioritised at all times for safer border communities, and timely incorporation of insurgence emergency response systems and border security governance with active engagement of communities by the government.
