Boko Haram insurgency and gendered victimhood: women as corporal victims and objects of war

Boko Haram, security architecture and counterinsurgency in North-East, Nigeria

“…Boko Haram members were indoctrinated to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs); young boys and girls were tied with booby-traps to carry out suicide bombings against security personnel and civilian targets. The use of female suicide bombers became a prominent part of the Boko Haram asymmetric warfare operations, with some masquerading as pregnant women or nursing mothers (Nwangwu & Ezeibe, 2019; Okoli & Azom, 2019). Boko Haram used females to carry out suicide missions for two reasons: first, it was to avoid being detected easily by their victims—the military and civilian targets, and second, it was for them to achieve maximum result in fatality rates in their operations (Nwangwu et al, 2021; Omeni, 2018b).…”

“…Between 2014 and 2015 in Borno, and partly in Yobe and Adamawa States, Boko Haram attacked schools, marketplaces, villages, military bases, and Muslim and Christian worship centers (Amao, 2020). Suicide bombers were deployed for suicide missions and more women and girls were kidnapped and recruited into suicide bombings and arm smuggling (Nwangwu et al, 2021; Okoli & Azom, 2019). The intensity of Boko Haram insurgency with high-level incidences of death and destruction of properties between 2014 and 2015 and the accompanying criticisms of President Jonathan over his government’s counterinsurgency approach discredited his candidature and contributed to his defeat in the 2015 presidential election.…”

“…It has also engaged in cross-border operations to evade military pressure using similar strategies associated with transnational terrorists like Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. It also feminized its operation against the military and civilian targets, thereby making it more difficult for the military to effectively defeat the insurgents (Okoli & Azom, 2019; Voronkova, 2017).…”

Journalistic representation of women in the reportage of military operations against Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeriao Haram in Northeast Nigeria

“…The role and impact of women in the Boko Haram insurgency have been captured in a number of studies (Bigio & Vogelstein, 2019;OCHA, 2019;Okoli, 2019;Sunday, 2019;UNICEF, 2019;Pillay, 2018;Idowu, 2016;International Crisis Group, 2016;Mlambo-Ngcuka & Coomaraswamy, 2015;Okeowo, 2015). The conflict has had an astounding impact on the lives of thousands of women (and girls): some have been recruited voluntarily, and others by force or for lack of other options into new, evolving roles outside the domestic sphere.…”

‘Crimelordism’: Understanding a New Phenomenon in Armed Banditry in Nigeria

“…Although Nigeria is not in a state of war or a natural catastrophe, its national security ambience, over the years, has been characterized by trepidations that threaten not only peace and security, but also corporate existence of the country. Cases in point include militancy, communal violence, insurgency and armed banditry (see International Crisis Group, 2017; Lenshie, 2018; Okoli and Azom, 2019). Of all these threats, the phenomenon of armed banditry appears to have been the most pervasive and, arguably, the most virulent in recent times.…”