Paper short abstract:

This study cross-examine some emerging issues such as what extent Western countries and donor agencies tolerate the activities of violent groups within their territory and how best they would respond to threats by violent groups without infringing on their rights.

Paper long abstract:

Though several literature and reports indict the Nigerian military of violating human rights in its onslaught against Boko Haram, a significant concern for this study is to cross-examine some emerging issues in the human rights discourse from the Nigerian experience. This includes to what extent Western countries and donor agencies tolerate the activities of violent groups within their territory and how best they would respond to threats by violent groups without infringing on their rights. How do we measure a minimum force in responding to extremist groups, and importantly why is that Boko Haram is not equally being held for human rights abuse. This task will be achieved through the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The study argues that the violent dimension of the insurgency, military response, and the lack of international and local support in the fight against Boko Haram have further complicated the crisis and grave security implications. Hence, human rights advocacy groups and humanitarian agencies need to move beyond the conventional narrative in human rights reporting and proscription to more pragmatic ways of finding a midpoint between a government’s response to extremist groups and the protection of civilians in conflict situations. Thus, more significant technical assistance and expertise are needed from the international community to fight against terrorism and insurgency. This includes; improved funding and organizing training sessions of the Nigerian military and a more profound commitment to infrastructural development and peace building.