Why Nigeria May Need Foreign Military Help to Fight Terrorism

Nigeria has been fighting violence and terrorism for more than ten years. There is no official “war,” but many people live as if there is one. 

Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits and kidnap gangs have turned villages, schools and highways into danger zones. Recent mass kidnappings of schoolchildren in northern states show that things are still very bad.

Can Nigeria defeat this problem alone, or does it need foreign military help?

From Insurgency to Banditry and Kidnapping

The violence is no longer limited to the North-East. In the North-West and parts of the North-Central, heavily armed gangs, often called bandits, attack villages, steal cattle and kidnap people for ransom.

What started as minor clashes between farmers and herders has turned into organised crime. These groups now use strong weapons, motorcycles and radios. They attack schools, kidnap students in large numbers, and demand big ransom payments.

In some cases, their methods and weapons look similar to those of Boko Haram and ISWAP. This makes security experts fear there may be links between jihadist groups and bandits, through shared suppliers, routes or training.

What the Nigerian Government Has Tried

The Nigerian government has not ignored the problem. It has launched many military operations in the North-East, created special units, and bought new aircraft and armoured vehicles. Nigeria also works with neighbours such as Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin through the Multinational Joint Task Force.

However, these efforts have not ended the violence. Soldiers are spread across too many trouble spots at the same time: insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, clashes in the North-Central, piracy in the South-South and separatist tension in the South-East.

Many reports complain about poor equipment, late or unpaid salaries, low morale and corruption. Even when the army clears an area, it is hard to stay and protect it for long. Once troops pull back, terrorists or bandits sometimes return.

Problems with Intelligence and Borders

Another major weakness is intelligence. Nigeria is a huge country with forests, mountains and wide rural areas. Terrorists and bandits hide in these difficult terrains. To track them, the security forces need good information in real time:

• Where camps are located
  
• Which roads they use
  
• Who is planning attacks
  

This level of information usually requires advanced tools like long-endurance drones, satellite images and strong data analysis systems. Nigeria is still building these capacities and cannot cover all trouble areas at once.

The problem becomes worse because Nigeria’s neighbours in the Sahel also face conflict. Fighters and weapons can move across borders with little control. This means Nigeria cannot fully secure itself without stronger regional and international support.

How Terror Groups Get Money and Weapons

Terrorists and bandits need money and guns to survive. They get money by kidnapping people and demanding ransom, by stealing cattle, by illegal mining and by smuggling goods.

These activities create a shadow economy. Some local elites, corrupt officials and business people may secretly work with them or look away because they benefit from these illegal profits.

Even when government forces kill some fighters, the money networks often remain untouched. As long as the money flows, new fighters can be hired and new weapons bought. Stopping these networks is very difficult without help from other countries and international financial systems.

Why Foreign Military Help May Be Necessary

Foreign help does not mean foreign countries take over Nigeria’s security. It can simply mean bringing in support where Nigeria is weak.

First, foreign partners can provide advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. With better satellite images, drones and signal tracking, Nigerian forces can see and understand what is happening in forests, border areas and remote villages. This helps them hit the right targets and avoid wasting time and resources.

Second, foreign militaries have long experience in fighting terrorism and insurgency in other parts of the world. They can train Nigerian soldiers and police in special skills like hostage rescue, school protection, urban fighting and community-based security. If this training is adapted to Nigerian realities, it can make operations more effective and reduce harm to civilians.

Third, foreign support can strengthen regional cooperation. The Multinational Joint Task Force is already a platform where Nigeria and its neighbours work together. With more reliable funding, better logistics, shared communication tools and medical support, joint operations can become faster and more successful.

Fourth, foreign governments can help track and block terrorism financing and arms smuggling. They can share information on bank transfers, front companies and smuggling routes, and they can freeze assets and stop suspicious shipments. This makes it harder for terrorists and bandits to buy weapons or move money around the world.

The Risks of Foreign Military Help

Of course, there are real risks. Nigeria is a proud country and a regional leader. Many citizens fear that foreign military assistance could reduce national control or repeat past patterns of external interference in African affairs.

There is also the danger of over-dependence. If Nigeria leans too heavily on foreign help, it may slow down important internal reforms, like cleaning up corruption, paying soldiers on time, reforming the police and improving coordination among security agencies.

Another risk is civilian harm. Suppose foreign-backed operations are careless and cause many civilian deaths, or appear to favour one region, ethnic group or political side. In that case, they can create more anger and support for extremists.

How to Make Foreign Help Work for Nigeria

For foreign military support to be useful, Nigeria must remain in charge. Abuja should decide what kind of help it needs, where and for how long. All agreements must be clear and transparent, with strict rules to protect civilians and respect human rights.

Foreign help must also be part of a larger plan. Terrorism is not only about guns and bombs; it is also about poverty, injustice, corruption and hopelessness.

To defeat it, Nigeria must improve schools, hospitals, roads and jobs, especially in areas that suffer most from violence. People must feel that their government listens and cares about their lives.

If foreign military help gives Nigeria better tools and more breathing space, then the government must use that time to fix deeper problems at home. Otherwise, the violence will return in new forms.