DOMESTIC TERRORISM AND NIGERIA'S FOREIGN POLICY: A CASE STUDY OF BOKO HARAM 2009-2021

Background Of The Study: Since Nigeria's independence on October 1, 1960, Africa has unquestionably played a prominent role in her foreign policy. In other words, Nigeria's foreign policy is based on the fundamental ideals of promoting the peace, integration, and cooperation of the African continent (Afolayan, 2022). And these guiding principles have essentially stayed consistent, since they can be used to describe Nigeria's behavior at the continental and global levels at any given period. According to Afolayan, (2022), the active participation of Nigeria in resolving the majority of crises on the African continent through the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) may be explained using one of the fundamental ideas of peaceful neighbourhood. Nigeria feels that her neighborhood is really significant. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will be discouraged if the nations surrounding the country are all engaged in conflict. This is commonly known as the "neighborhood effect." In acknowledgment of this, practically all Nigerian presidents focus their efforts on settling violent disputes on the continent, since we need a peaceful neighborhood to prosper economically and otherwise (Ogunleye, 2022). Therefore, Nigeria's foreign policy is best evaluated in light of its regional and global interactions, as well as its goals. In addition, both internal and external variables have a significant influence in determining Nigeria's foreign policy. Among these elements are the essentially mono-cultural (oil-driven) nature and structure of the Nigerian economy, its geographical location in West Africa, the nature of its political leadership, military capabilities, population, and domestic political situation (Kayode, 2022). Importantly, internal policies and acts of sovereign states, as well as the ordinary exercise of authority in matters of day-to-day administration, can snowball into foreign policy controversies that are likely to get global attention. In other words, issues or concerns upon which countries have acted within their own authority frequently become international issues or concerns. In a similar vein, the actions of Boko-Haram terrorists, which were previously viewed as a Nigerian concern, have now morphed from a domestic to an international one, impacting countries such as Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, as well as the investments of nations outside the borders of Africa (Ogunleye, 2022).

Therefore, the recent operations of Boko-Haram have contributed in no small degree to the tarnished image of Nigeria within the international community and in the field of economic growth by retarding the country's development by halting initiatives targeted at wealth creation. This has made residents poorer, particularly in North-East Nigeria, by preventing the production of wealth or commercial activity and the influx of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) (Olanrewaju, 2022). Given this context, the primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the connection between foreign policy and insurgency. In other terms, it investigates internal terrorism and the foreign policy of Nigeria. A study of boko haram from 2009 to 2021.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Nigeria's foreign policy, like the foreign policy of any other nation, is to create and maintain cordial ties with other nations, as well as to generate a positive image for the country and advance its national interests (Olanrewaju, 2022). This usually implies that foreign policy is essential for establishing, preserving, and keeping a nation's positive reputation. As a result of Boko-Haram's terrorist acts, Nigeria's reputation has suffered throughout the years. According to Kayode, (2022), managing the nation's internal interests appropriately is the solution to the problem of Boko-Haram's domestic terrorism hurting the country's reputation. In response, the purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between domestic terrorism and Nigeria's foreign policy: a case study of boko haram 2009-2021.