Corruption, Insurgency, and the Effectiveness of Counterinsurgency Efforts in Nigeria

Nigeria's continuing war with militant groups, as well as government corruption, pose a threat to the country's stability and political independence. President Muhammadu Buhari's 2015 election promises included fighting endemic corruption and crushing an insurgency that has taken over 20,000 lives and displaced millions of people. However, Nigeria's defence institutions face significant corruption risks, with exceedingly lax controls in procurement and operations. While mechanisms to ensure checks and balances are in place, they often lack the resources, expertise, coordination, and knowledge required to execute their functions fully. Hence, through the lens of relative deprivation theory, which sees economic disparity in society as problematic and a cause of friction, and using the content analysis and critical discourse analysis of the qualitative method of investigation, this study examines the impact of security sector corruption on Nigeria's counterinsurgency measures. Findings show that Boko Haram's narrative among the locals is that the government is corrupt and that only Islamic law can establish a fair and just society. While the assertion is dubious, the idea that state corruption in Nigeria is an issue is evident in the disappearance of more than $15 billion in the Nigerian military procurement funds.