Abstract
This study assesses the performance of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in battling Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, Nigeria, from 2015 to 2021, concentrating on territorial reclamations and operational victories within a regional security framework. Drawing on Regional Security Complex Theory, it investigates how multinational collaboration tackled transnational challenges in the Lake Chad Basin. Using a qualitative interpretative approach, data were acquired via unstructured interviews with 16 key informants (military personnel, government officials, humanitarian actors, community leaders, and displaced persons) and processed thematically. Findings demonstrate major gains, including the liberation of key towns (e.g., Baga, Gwoza, Gamboru-Ngala), disruption of insurgent supplies, and better civilian security through reduced attacks and enhanced humanitarian access. However, the study equally found that logistical shortcomings, financing volatility, coordination frictions, and governance vacuums hindered strategy durability, permitting insurgent adaptation and re-infiltration. The study also reinforces the possibility of regional coalitions in asymmetric warfare but highlights the need for coordinated military-civilian tactics. Policy recommendations include equal funding, harmonized command structures, and community trust-building. This contributes to security studies by highlighting the patterns of interdependence in unstable border regions, with implications for future international interventions.
Keywords: Multinational Joint Taskforce, Counter-insurgency, Boko Haram, Borno State
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/fujpam.2026.v5i01.012
author/Umar A. Arabo, Dr. Muhammad Abdullahi, Dr. Adamu Muhammad, Dr. Taofiki Aminu
journal/FUJPAM Vol. 5, No. 1
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