International ensemble : a convoluted panacea to the Boko Haram scourge in Nigeria?

The Nigerian government has been battling to contain the threat posed by Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group that has been launching guerrilla-style attacks in pursuit of its objectives to oppose Western education as well as a secular state. All along, Nigeria has been reluctant to accept international assistance to fight Boko Haram arguing that the government had the capacity to deal with the situation. However, it has since become irrefutable that Nigeria's domestic security apparatus lacks robust mechanisms to effectively deal with Boko Haram whose threats have become amplified and credible. The recent abduction of Chibok school girls became the wake-up call which triggered worldwide concern and ultimately galvanised the international community to cooperate and render expert assistance to Nigeria. Although this development may have immense potential to force Boko Haram to capitulate, intriguing paradoxes are emerging. Involving external parties to the conflict carries an inherent risk of worsening the tension between Muslims and Christians, leading to conflict escalation. Therefore the international effort to assist Nigeria must be rendered intelligently, assiduously and comprehensively, lest it becomes a temporary, short-term solution whose real problem may manifest and resurface soon before the footprints of the foreign forces are erased.