Terrorism, Counter-insurgency, and the Sambisa Forest: the Role of Military Geology in Fourth-Generation Warfare in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the endless militant and infantry wars in Northern Nigeria due to activities of insurgency, terrorism, and banditry. For more than a decade and counting, the Nigerian military had been disastrously engaged in hardcore fighting against an insurgent and terrorist group that had dominated northern Nigeria. Following a number of military operations involving Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Hadin Kai, and the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars, the enemy forces had appeared invincible and was threatening to turn the war on insurgency and terrorism into a never-ending struggle in Nigeria. This is why the study adopts historical and qualitative approaches in investigating the firm resistance of terrorist and insurgent group in Sambisa Forest and it environs against the superior military might of the Nigerian Army. The study is that the Nigerian army has far more material and human resources than that of the insurgents and terrorists, but the failure of the Nigerian military to fully exploit the dynamics and benefits of military geology in the Sambisa Forest and its bordering areas has prevented a swift victory and led to an unintended protracted conflict in the region, very much like the war in Afghanistan. This paper advocates for an integrated strategy in the conduct of war in terrorism by the Nigerian military in the Sambisa Forest.