ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the best counter-terrorism against Boko Haram would likely not emerge from the Nigerian military or military-led solutions but, rather, would include the full spectrum of local involvement, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) measures, prisoner deradicalization and police–vigilante combat operations. It begins with a description of Boko Haram's evolution in funding, weapons use, leadership and terrorism operations. With this basic portrait of the group's changing capabilities in mind, the chapter reviews the various conception of counter-terrorism strategies and provide a description of a data-intensive methodology to identify the patterns and weakness of Boko Haram in a mixed-method empirical assessment of the efficacy of various counter-terrorism strategies used against the group. The chapter concludes with the implications of this analysis for future Nigerian state action, as well as how foreign partners can assist Nigeria with effective counter-terror operations.
