ABSTRACT
When, in 2015, the Global Terrorism Index "crowned" Boko Haram the dead-liest terrorist group in the world, it is likely that many observers, especially in the West, found the claim surprising. After all, it is the so-called Islamic State (or ISIS) that features, almost without fail, in every news program aired by the BBC, CNN and other Western media outlets. It has also proved its ability to hit enemies around the world and inspire would-be attackers in less obvious places. When, on May 29, 2015, Muhammadu Buhari took office as president of Nigeria, expectations were high, not only in the country but also among Western partners. Under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Boko Haram insurgency had been mishandled, and the security situation deteriorated as a result. Corruption within political and defense quarters had affected the way counter-insurgency operations had been conducted, and well-documented yet denied human rights abuses by the military stained Nigeria's reputation.
